Ashes and Secrets
by staryu
Summary: When Jonathan finds a mysterious ash-covered young woman in his property, he did not expect it to be the start of a series of events he had no control over.
1. Chapter 1

It was near dusk, and the land was quiet save for the sound of hooves clopping on the forest ground. Jonathan sighed. While he enjoyed horseback riding, he couldn't help but feel restricted at the pace he was going, more used to neckbreaking speed instead of the sedate pace he was going. Indeed, he would have liked nothing more than to urge his horse to a gallop, but his squire would have reported him immediately to Endymion, knowing that the boy's loyalty was to his cousin than to the one he was sent to serve. A wan smile passed his lips when he thought about his liege. No doubt he sent his own blood to him to make sure he did not do any foolhardy things, knowing full well how rash Jonathan can be, while at the same time ignoring the same youthful follies he himself has committed. His lips curled into a full smile when he remembered the last mess Endymion found himself in, falling off the castle wall in his desperate attempt to escape the court ladies who dreamt of being the queen of the realm. It was Jonathan who had found him, sprawled in his back and covered in grease, his idea of the perfect disguise. The same could not be said of his pride, as his protector proceeded to laugh himself silly at seeing his king in that position, but he was thankful it was him who found him, and not the other three. Zachary would have lectured him on the proper way of acting like a king, Nathaniel would have thrown him to the ladies, and Kaelan… Endymion had mock-shuddered then, and told Jonathan that he did not even want to think about what Kaelan would have done.

Jonathan sighed. He missed them. They were closer than brothers, probably because they did not have anything like blood to keep them from being comrades and friends, but the word was as good as any to describe how they saw each other. He, Zachary, Nathaniel, and Kaelan had come to know each other on the fateful day, when they saved Endymion's life and raised him up on the throne, having lost his parents to the same rebels who attempted to end his own. They nearly succeeded too, having infiltrated the Terran Palace through bribery and deceit. It was his own mother and tutor who called for help at the cost of their own lives, but the Terran soldiers were able to make it in time to save the young prince – now king – before the traitors were able to get to him. It had not been an easy fight. The Khevas, Daynes, and Leffords had brought the best of their forces, and by the time the battle had been through, only a quarter of the royal guard survived. Out of that number, it was only Zachary, Nathaniel, Kaelan, and Jonathan who were able to reach Endymion in time to save him. In gratitude, he promoted them as his personal guard, as well as granting them slices of his own kingdom – the East to Jonathan, the West to Nathaniel, the South to Zachary, and the North to Kaelan. The four tried to protest, naturally, but Endymion would hear no complaints from them. "Besides," and here he had grinned, "When you find out what entails in ruling a kingdom, you wouldn't think this as a reward." The surviving councilors of the Elyson family had been horrified, but Endymion's stubbornness came through, so it was that four foot soldiers found themselves suddenly saddled with titles. Jonathan shook his head at the memory. It was a wonder that the advisors allowed Endymion to pull off that stunt, king or no king. Jonathan and Nathaniel were born of commoners, the former's father a baker and the latter's a fisherman. Kaelan had been worse off, being baseborn, a bastard who never knew his parents. Zachary was the only one who had any ties to royalty, but being the youngest son of a minor lordling, his rank was practically nonexistent, and he had bought his colors to try to make a name for himself and escape debtors' prison at the same time. Zachary. This time, Jonathan's mouth twisted into a grimace as he remembered the last time he saw his "brothers". Endymion had called them to court, and Zachary, who likened himself to being more of a scholar than a soldier, had excitedly presented his findings. The first was the possibility of there being intelligent life outside of their own planet. The other protectors had rolled their eyes at that, saying without words that this proposal was as flighty as Zachary himself. The other finding was more serious and thus deserved more attention. Readings from the data he's gathered seemed to indicate that there was a force on Earth that was vast and powerful, and his initial findings show that the unidentifiable energy was malevolent.

"An unidentifiable energy?" Jonathan had scoffed. "So what you're saying is that there's a magical force that _may _want to kill us?"

"That is what my readings say," Zachary had said gravely. Jonathan had no doubt that his machines and gadgets had picked up something, they had never been inaccurate, as far as he can remember, but maybe they detected something else, like an earthquake or some sort of natural energy, but the younger man had insisted that it was nothing like he had ever seen. Surprisingly, Nathaniel had backed him up, saying that the stars he had been reading also indicated that there was something off, and the energy Zachary detected may have something to do with that. Kaelan, on the other hand, had taken Jonathan's side.

"Magic has died in this planet a long time ago," he had quietly stated. "Unless a miracle happened, there's no way for it to come back, and especially not at the level that Zachary seems to be detecting."

"Unless of course it's being given off by the aliens you're also detecting," Jonathan had quipped, snickering. Zachary had flushed at that, and he would have retorted angrily if Endymion had not held up his hand. Wisely, their king did not attempt to pick a side, and instead tasked the youngest of his guardians to investigate more on the matter. Zachary had bowed courteously enough, but he gave off an air of injured pride that made Jonathan feel guilty about needling him. He vowed to make peace with his younger brother during the next meeting.

So intent was Jonathan in his own thoughts that he barely paid attention to his surroundings, and only got brought back to the present at his squire's yell. He shook his head to clear it, and then looked at what the boy was getting excited about. His eyes widened at what he saw, and before he knew what he was doing, he leaped off his horse and ran to where the squire was pointing. A young woman, possibly in her late teens, lay crumpled on the forest floor, apparently unconscious. Her dress's color unidentifiable because of the grime, and she was barefoot. She was covered head to toe in soot and ashes, but there was no fire around her. He pulled her to his lap, and brushing her jet-black hair from her face, he shook her gently, idly noting that she looked pretty. "My lady?" he asked, and then berated himself for addressing her with the honorary title. "Miss?" he asked instead, shaking her gently again. At this, she stirred, and directed a violet-eyed gaze at him.

Jonathan felt his throat clench when he saw the gaze directed at him. He had noticed her attractiveness in spite of being covered in soot, but the eyes had turned her from passable prettiness to full beauty. It took a few seconds before he found his tongue again, and even so, he still felt her stare. Clearing his throat, he asked, "Miss, are you alright?" In response, the girl passed out again. Cursing to himself, he picked her up, and yelling to his squire to run ahead to the castle to let them know about the situation, he hoisted himself to his horse and headed in the same direction, while cradling the mysterious young woman to his chest.


	2. Chapter 2

Jonathan walked briskly along the corridors, his destination clear. However, when he finally reached the door, he hesitated. A strange look passed his face before his expression became resolute, and he knocked before twisting the doorknob.

Everything was unchanged since the last time he'd been there, two days ago. It was a large room, airy, with big windows that let the bright morning sunshine in, while allowing its occupants to enjoy the sights of the estate given to him by Endymion. However, Jonathan's eyes were only fixed on the young woman lying on the bed, still dead to the world. A doctor had already come over a few days ago at his request. While the man had looked at him curiously when he saw who his patient was going to be, he was polite enough not to ask his king why he had a young woman in his custody, and he was efficient in his examination of her.

"Is it bad?" Jonathan had asked worriedly, hovering over the doctor and his patient.

The doctor had turned to him then, and the young king saw a confused look on his face. "To be honest, I do not know."

"What do you mean you don't know? You're supposed to be a doctor!"

"I'm sorry, sire, but this is the first time I've encountered something like this," the doctor had said apologetically. "There doesn't seem to be anything wrong with her but for a fever."

"But?" Jonathan had prompted.

"But it's impossible for someone living to have that high a temperature and still live," the doctor had continued. "Her body temperature is far beyond what is normal that it seems that she is burning up from a fever, but she does not give any indication of actually feeling it."

"But she has been unconscious for almost five days!"

"Mayhap her body just needs to rest. I am terribly sorry, m'lord, but there is really nothing I can do for her." The doctor had hesitated then. "Pardon me for asking, sire, but what is she to you? If rumors are true, she is but a peasant girl you found on the road. I do not see why you need to concern yourself over the wench."

Jonathan had gritted his teeth at the gall of the small man in front of him. "She is my subject, and I promised Endymion that I would look after them as best as I could." The doctor had recoiled at the obvious anger in the young king's voice, and murmuring his apologies again, he had hastily stepped out of the room and left the castle as fast as he could.

Jonathan sighed, brushing a lock of hair from his eyes as he looked at the woman in the bed. He _had _given his promise to Endymion, the king he had sworn to obey and protect, but there was a niggling part of him that asked if that really was the reason why he was paying an inordinate amount of attention to the girl, even to the extent of hiring two village women to take care of her. He recalled the second day of her arrival in the castle. He had checked upon her then, and was about to step out of the room when she began thrashing on the bed and speaking in a language that was simultaneously strange yet beautiful, a tongue unknown to Jonathan. For the first time in his life, he had cursed at his commoner ancestry and his lack of education and languages even as he tried to shake her awake. He was unsuccessful, but the young woman eventually had managed to calm down on her own, even if she still had not awakened.

"What am I going to do about you?" he whispered as he unconsciously brushed a lock of ebony hair from her smooth forehead. _She really_ _is a beauty, _Jonathan thought to himself. Even if the doctor had called her a wench, he somehow could not find it in him to think she was one, for she did not resemble any peasant that Jonathan had ever seen. Her lips were rose-colored, untouched by whatever sickness she had. Her dark eyelashes fanned down almost to her cheeks, pale as her skin but not sallow. Her hair had violet highlights to it, almost the same color of her eyes. Jonathan irrationally wished that she open them so he might look into them again, and cursed at himself for thinking such thoughts over a mere slip of a girl. Somehow, however, his prayer was answered, and he found himself gazing down at the violet, almost purple depths that stared back at him. Startled, he stepped back.

The young woman looked at him and her surroundings confusedly, before launching into the strange speech that he had earlier heard from her.

"I am really sorry, but I have no idea what you are saying. I'll have someo-" Jonathan had begun to say and was hastily moving towards the door, when her next words stopped him.

"Who are you, sir, and where am I?" Her accent was strange, and her words sound alien to his ears, almost as though she had no idea what she was saying, but her speech was in the common tongue, and that was good enough for Jonathan.

"My lady, I am Jonathan Herid, and you are currently in my home in East Terra." In his relief, Jonathan did not notice the title he addressed her. "May I know who you are? Your family must be missing you already."

"My name…" The young woman bit her lip. "My name…"

"Yes? How should I call you?" Jonathan asked kindly, rephrasing his question. _The chit may not familiar with some of the words in the common tongue._

"My name…" A look of panic passed her delicate features. "I am sorry, sir, but I do not know my name. Or where I am. Or where my family is."

As Jonathan looked in consternation, the young woman in front of him began to sob.


	3. Chapter 3

AN: This isn't mine, btw.

RJRJRJRJRJ

Jonathan rode, his men right behind him and his squire riding by his side. As he steered his horse, his thoughts unaccountably flew back to the raven-haired girl who was waiting for him – for _them, _he reminded himself, annoyed – but he ruthlessly pushed his thoughts back and sought to remember the proceedings of the meeting he had just come from.

It had not been a joyful reunion. Endymion had urgently called for him and the rest of his council again. It turned out that Zachary's reading about the earth magic was not a fluke, as Nathaniel's scouting of his own kingdom had proven that there was something unnatural at work.

"People are falling sick for no reason, sire," Nathaniel had grimly told Endymion at the council meeting. "There were no marks on their bodies, but they burn with fever, and the doctors could find no cause for the maladies. Some have already died because of this." Kaelan had corroborated this. While no one had fallen ill in his own land yet, the crops are failing to grow, an evil portent considering that they were expecting a harsh winter. Zachary's kingdom was also starting to show signs of being affected by the strange sickness plaguing the land, the waters of the seas retreating from the shores and farther into the oceans. The worst part was that these were only symptoms, the root of which Zachary could not even identify. There was no hiding the anxiety behind the younger man's words, and Jonathan could not help but be nervous about the whole ordeal, and knew that his brothers were feeling the same thing. It was all right to be in the battlefield, for in there, you knew who your enemies were and how they fought, but to wage a war against an invisible foe was a completely different matter. Still, he and his brothers had to keep on fighting, for the sake of the king they were bound, by their vows and their love, to protect.

Jonathan had taken the meeting as an opportunity to apologize to Zachary for making light of his reading in the past council, but he had brushed it off.

"You wouldn't be Jonathan if you did not make a joke out of everything," he had said lightly, gently teasing.

Jonathan smiled ruefully then. Even if Zachary was the youngest of them all, Jonathan was indubitably the most lighthearted of them, and was known to laugh easily, even during inopportune moments, but never in a deliberately malicious manner. Humor was both his defense and weapon, and he was known to wield it as such.

"Speaking of jokes, how come you're gloomy, Jonathan? Please do not say your lands have also been afflicted, because I would scarce know what to do if you did," Endymion asked, wearily rubbing a hand across his forehead.

"No, sire, nothing like that," Jonathan had quickly assured him, feeling a stab of guilt at making his king worry. Indeed, only his land and Endymion's own Elysion remained untouched by the land's blight, but Zachary had privately told him it was only a matter of time before they were also infested. His younger brother could not identify what form it would take when it reached his realm, only that it was inevitable for it to be infected if they were not able to find the root cause of it.

"So what worries you?" Kaelan had bluntly asked. He was never one to mince words with anyone, preferring to go directly to the heart of the problem.

"Nothing's wrong with me," he had answered sharply, earning a pointed look from his commander which he chose to ignore.

Hearing the exchange, Nathaniel's head lifted, and a smile touched his lips. "Hm, let's see. You are barely eating, you brood, and you are irritable. Might it be you have been jilted by a woman?" Jonathan had growled out a denial, but the others had been too busy laughing at his expense to hear it. As well they did not press the matter, or he would have been forced to reveal the girl's presence.

At this, his troubled thoughts flew again back to the girl, even as he entered his estates. How has she been during his absence? Does she remember more now? Would she welcome his return? Had she missed him? He became irritated with himself again when he realized where his thoughts led. How can he think about her this much when he barely knew anything about her? And she was but a child!

So busy was he with his thoughts that he barely noticed entering his gates and would have run through the object of his thoughts had not his squire shouted a warning. Pulling his reins in time, he brought his charger to heel and glanced at the girl. _No, not a girl, a young woman, _Jonathan realized. It was the first time he had seen her fully alert and moving about, and saw that her form was not of a child's anymore. He gulped, swallowing the sudden lump that formed in his throat. His eyes met hers then, and he realized that while her body was that of a young woman, her eyes were those of someone who is infinitely older, containing the wisdom of several generations. They were beautiful, that much was certain, but there was also wisdom and strength in them. Strength equivalent to ten men, it seems, if her courage and lack of fear from a rearing charger was any indication. Before he knew what he was doing, he had slid off his horse and was walking towards her. Dimly, he heard some of his men snickering, but he paid them no mind, and only stopped when he was a few paces away from her. He coughed, trying to clear his throat. "I seem to be making a habit of asking how you are, miss," he found himself saying, and cursed at himself for the slight mockery in his voice, and hoped she had not noticed it.

She had. Bristling slightly, she answered, "I am fine, thank you for asking sire," even with her musical accent, she was somehow able to make her tone brusque and sharp at the same time.

"And have you been well in my absence, miss?" Jonathan asked, in a more placating tone.

"Better before you arrived, that much I can say," she retorted tartly. Jonathan grinned at the sharp tone. The chit was spirited!

"Rei!"

The two of them turned around at the voice. It was Lydia, the village woman Jonathan had hired to look after the young woman. Trailing behind her were some of the village children, and he realized that the young woman – Rei – had been playing with them before he and his party arrived. After a cursory glance, he ignored them and turned back to the one in front of him. "Rei?" he asked mildly.

"That is the name I took for myself," she answered stiffly.

"It suits you," Jonathan replied, and was surprised to find that he spoke the truth. _Rei. "Fire" in the Old Language. _The chosen name seemed apt for her, as she was as fiery as her namesake.

"I'm not asking for your approval," she spit out, but Jonathan was gratified to see roses blooming on her cheeks at his offhanded compliment. His grin became wider.

"Rei! You would apologize to His Grace at once!"

"He doesn't look all that graceful to me," Rei answered resentfully, to Lydia's sharp gasp and Jonathan's involuntary chuckle.

"The child's got spirit," Jonathan said, still chuckling.

"I am not a child!" Rei began, but Lydia grasped her upper arm and pulled her back.

"I apologize for her, my lord," Lydia curtsied. When she stood, she unconsciously curled her fingers in her skirt in worry. "I have been trying to instruct her in the genteel arts, but she is hardheaded and would not listen."

Jonathan waved off the apology. "What do you have to say to yourself?" he said, turning to Rei again.

Instead of answering him, Rei turned to Lydia. "Why do I have to bow to him anyway?"

"Because he's your king, child!" Lydia hissed.

Rei's eyes widened at this, but narrowed them again a split-second after. "He is no king of mine," Rei announced. Giving Jonathan a challenging stare, she pivoted and flounced back to the castle.

Jonathan inwardly grinned. Things just became very interesting.

RJRJRJRJRJ

Just a few messages to those who left reviews.:)

SailorCopperOwl: I still can't you believe you're the same SailorCopperOwl in 4KH! Nice to see you here.:D Hope you like this story!

SnowCharms: Thanks for the review. Actually, the reason why I didn't put up a disclaimer anymore is I figured I didn't need to, since this is , and I figured it's understandable that all of the stuff here aren't really original-original, since we're basing them off from known characters. Anyway, I put up one here just in case.:) Also, the main reason why I'm not using the names they had in the series is because I'm planning to show how they acquire their rock names (if not in this fanfic, in an off-shoot of it). Another reason I have is that, well, I just don't plain like those names.:/ The names don't really sound natural, unlike Endymion (which I still used), which is really a name some parents would name their kids. I chose these names so that it's a bit easier to identify who's who, and also because these are names that are already being used around the 18th century, which is the period I'm somewhat basing this fanfic on. Anyway, thanks for letting me know your thoughts, I really appreciate it.:)

Also for those who are reading, please leave reviews so I'll know if I'm taking the story on the right track.:)


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Sorry for a month-long lack of updates. I've been busy in RL so I didn't really have the time to write a new chapter.

SnowCharms, Requiem of Fire, sailorashes, Muso-Bunny: Thanks for those who reviewed so far! I really appreciate it.:) I hope this is long enough, Muso-Bunny. I'm not really used to writing long chapters, so I can't promise anything about that.

For those who are reading this, please let me know what you think so far by leaving reviews. I always like hearing people's thoughts on what I put down.:) 

Again, all characters in the Sailor Moon universe are not mine, only the plot of this story is.

RJRJRJRJRJ

"_So how are you holding up, Fierra?" Two faces crammed in the small screen. Fierra couldn't help but smile at her friends', nay, sisters' antics._

"_I am well. At least, as well as I can be given the circumstances," she answered. "How is the princess?"_

"_Well. She misses you. We all do," the petite blue-haired girl said, the ever-present gentle smile on her face._

"_I miss you too," Fierra replied. "I think we might have been mistaken this time around, Agua. There is nothing suspicious here."_

"_What? We have not seen each other in a long time, with you all the way there, and the only thing you can tell us is that you find that place boring?" the curly brunette exclaimed, her voice disbelieving._

_Fierra chuckled. "I'm afraid so, Astra. There is nothing here that would have amused you or Lux for long."_

"_The man you met? Do you have any idea who he is?" Agua inquired._

"_I have an inkling on who he is, but I am not yet sure. I need a little more time, Agua," she hedged. Even though she retained her smile, this one was a little forced, testament of some inner emotion broiling inside her. Yet Fierra was not the kind to speak about what she felt so freely._

"_I told you I should have been the one sent on the mission! Maybe I could have gotten he answers more quickly!" harrumphed Astra, her rosebud lips turned into a pout. _

_The genuine smile returned on Fierra's face. "Astra, little sister, you know I'm the one who is the only one who will be able to go through this," she replied, no hint of admonition or rancor in her voice. She was too used to her sister's impulsive nature to be affected by her words that were not meant to be malicious. "With Lux protecting the royal family, it is the second-in-command's responsibility to watch over the protection of the planets. Besides, I have greater control over my ability over you, and this is what we need for this mission. Control." She did not add that Astra's impulsive nature would have been a liability, especially given the sensitivity of the task she was assigned in. _

"_Are you pulling rank on me?" Astra mock-growled._

_In spite of herself, Fierra gave a small chuckle. Astra did have the most amusing antics at times. You can always count on her to diffuse a tense situation. "Believe me, you would not enjoy being here. The man who has found me is just so infuriating! He seems to think that I should bow down before him because he happens to be the ruler of a small part of this planet. I can scarcely believe it!"_

"_So I think this means you like him, if he got under your skin like that," Astra teased._

_Fierra gave an unladylike snort. "Hardly. He would get under your skin too, if you saw just how arrogant the man is."_

"_Temper, Fierra," Agua admonished._

"_I am calm, do not worry so, Agua," Fierra soothed the blue-haired nymph. "Do not worry. You know I have full control over my emotions."_

"_That is what I am most worried about. Why not try to cut loose a little, Fierra? Even Lux is more relaxed than you are, and she is the one who leads us!" Astra said._

"_We all have our personality quirks, little sister."_

"_Little? I am taller than you are, Fierra, and you are only older than me by three moons!"_

"_Sssh, Astra. Fierra was just teasing," Agua said, patting the taller girl on the shoulder. "We have to go now, Fierra. Promise you will keep us updated?"_

_Fierra nodded. "I will."_

"_And if anything happens, you will let us know, all right?"_

_Fierra sighed. "Yes, Agua. It might be so hard for you to believe, but I do know what my job is."_

_Agua colored. "I know. I did not mean it that way, Fierra. It is just… The queen and the princess do not know that you are down there, and there is the threat in that place that…"_

"_Agua, it will be alright. I hear footsteps. I will contact you again soon. Take care of the princess, and say 'hello' to Lux for me." _

RJRJRJRJRJ

Jonathan knocked on the door, then cautiously turned the handle and peered inside. "Rei, is there something going on here? I thought I heard voices, and…"

He was taken aback by what he saw. There she stood, the girl who called herself Rei, standing in front of the mirror, brushing her hair. She was all alone. "Do you make it a habit to enter a woman's room without being given leave to do so, my lord?" Rei asked, her tone arch.

"I beg your pardon, but…" Jonathan began to speak, and then stopped. _Why am I apologizing? _He wondered. _This is my home, so I have every right to enter any room I want! _Still, there was something in her voice that made him want to kneel down and bow his head. This simple peasant girl made him want to genuflect. He stifled a wry laugh. Zachary and Nathaniel would have laughed at the thought, and even Kaelan would have cracked a smile at the thought of Jonathan make a fool of himself over a mere slip of a girl. _What is it with this strange girl that affects me so? _he asked himself. _It is as though she cast a spell on me_, he started to think, then berated himself for the foolish path his thoughts were taking. Magic was already dead.

"Well?" Rei's demanding voice cut through his reverie. "Are you just going to gape there the whole day?"

Jonathan shook his head, still bemused. "My apologies, Rei. I thought I heard voices in your room, and I thought I would check in on you."

"Well, now you have seen that it is just me here. You can leave now," Rei replied, her tone still haughty, the voice of someone who was used to being obeyed.

Jonathan had half-turned when he heard her tone, but stopped himself once again. _This is ridiculous! I am king of this place, and I cannot allow myself to be ordered around by this chit!_ "Pardon me? Did I hear you just try to throw me out of my own house?" he asked, trying to imitate the high and mighty tone Endymion used when he met up with the houses that he did not like.

To his surprise, color flooded Rei's cheeks. "I do apologize, my lord," she said gruffly, and her apology stunned Jonathan once again. He would not have pegged her to be someone who would voluntarily beg pardon for something she had done. "I was surprised at your sudden intrusion. I did not mean to be so rude."

"Perfectly all right," Jonathan waved off her apology. "What were you doing here before I entered?" he asked curiously, and then cursed at himself for the question. He had been captivated to hear the sound of her voice and asked the question without thinking, only wanting to hear her dulcet tone again.

To his relief, Rei did not find anything strange about his question. "I was just singing a while ago," she replied, turning away from Jonathan's inquisitive gaze.

"Singing? What is it about?"

"Oh, just some tune. It must have been something from my childhood."

"Your childhood? Does that mean you are starting to recover your memories?" To his surprise, this thought made his heart clench.

"I am sorry, my lord, but I cannot say. I can scarce remember my childhood. It was just a song that crossed my mind a while back, and I thought to put words to the tune playing in my head."

"Would you mind singing it to me?" Jonathan asked.

At his question, Rei instantly bridled. "It is not for a man to decide whether to let women do something, especially tasks that she does not enjoy."

Jonathan was taken aback by the fierceness in her voice. "If I have given offense, I beg pardon. I honestly do not mean anything by that question."

He saw her take a few deep breaths before she spoke. "It is alright, my lord. Forgive me. It might just be due to tiredness. I think I would like to sleep now."

Jonathan looked outside the window, and then back at her, his expression incredulous. It was only a little past high noon. Surely no one wanted to sleep yet at such an early hour. _Perhaps it is because she has not fully recovered from her ordeal_, he reasoned. Knowing a dismissal when he heard one, he nodded and bowed curtly. At the door of her room, he paused, and then turned to her again. "May I call on you again later, to see how you are feeling?" he asked, his tone almost hesitant.

He saw Rei pause, her eyes widening at his question, followed by her cheeks turning slightly pink. She gave a small nod. "If it pleases you, sir."

"It will. I hope you have a good rest," he said. Bowing again, he moved out of the room. It was only when he had taken a few steps did he realize that this was the first time he actually had a decent conversation with Rei. For some reason, this made him grin widely, and he whistled as he walked the rest of the steps to go outside his palace.


	5. Chapter 5

"Look at this, Rei!"

"Rei, Rei, look at me!"

"Play with me, Rei!"

Jonathan smiled in amusement as he watched Rei play with the children on the courtyard. For all her prickliness, the young woman seemed gentle and approachable where the young ones were concerned. She alternately laughed, danced, and sang her way into the children's hearts, while giving each of them equal attention so that they did not become jealous of the others.

"Sire?"

Jonathan started at the sound of the voice. He tilted his head, and saw that it was his squire. "Edward? What is it?" He asked gruffly.

His squire must have misinterpreted the brusqueness in his tone, because he immediately stepped back, a wary look crossing his eyes. "Nothing, sire. I was just wondering why you were hiding here."

"I am not hiding," he said quickly. His squire's raised eyebrows gave silent testimony to how he believed that statement. Jonathan felt his cheeks reddening at the gaze directed at him. "I just wanted to see where Rei and the children were," he found himself explaining.

"If you say so," the squire said, his eyebrows still raised, but his eyes now held a suspicious twinkle, and the beginnings of a smirk appeared on his lips, a smile that made him look so much like his cousin Endymion in those rare times when he allowed his impishness to get the better of him.

"Go back to the horses or whatever it is you are supposed to be doing now," Jonathan groused. The squire bowed and left, his smirk now full-blown. He watched until his squire turned the corner before he directed his gaze back at Rei and the children, only to realize that they were all staring back at him. _Damn Edward. He is too much like his cousin._

"My lord? Is there a problem?" One of the older children inquired, looking at him apprehensively.

"Yes, my lord. Is there a problem?" As always, there was a hint of sarcasm in Rei's voice when she said "my lord". Sure enough, there was that characteristic smirk on her lips. Jonathan winced inwardly. Earlier, one of the older women from the village had tried to force her to address him as "Your Grace". She was taken aback when, instead of obeying meekly as young women were wont to do, Rei flared up, practically screaming that "His Grace was no more graceful than a lame, blindfolded donkey walking on a rickety bridge". Jonathan had to intervene before blood was shed, and hastily assured the scandalized goodwife that being addressed as "my lord" was fine by him. Far from being grateful for his intercession, Rei acted as though he had done her great fault, and rubbed the title under Jonathan's nose every chance she got.

"There is no problem, Rei," Jonathan said quickly, and only realized his mistake when some of the children's mothers gasped behind him. _How could I have forgotten? _Jonathan thought wryly. His kingdom remained strictly traditional, with all the common courtesies strictly observed. One such rule was for a man to never call a young woman by her first name, unless she gave him permission or if the two of them have come to an understanding. _It is not like I have any choice in the matter_, Jonathan thought mulishly, striving to ignore the whispering going on, _It is not like I actually know what her full name is so that I may address her properly. Now these buzzards will begin spreading rumors about how Rei and I are in an inappropriate relationship in the castle. _He stifled down the pleasant rush that thought brought, and forced a smile in the direction of the goodwives, who immediately blushed and tittered at being noticed by their king.

"Oh? Are you certain there is no problem, my lord? If there was nothing that should concern us, then you would have had no reason to lurk in the shadows, my lord," Rei said archly, the corners of her mouth rising up even more.

In spite of himself, Jonathan chuckled. _The child _does _have spirit_, he thought amusedly. No one he knew would make deliberate remarks to try and goad the king. "Well, there is no problem, but I did wonder if I could borrow you just for a short time from the little ones," he said, keeping his tone playful.

All at once, the playful, challenging glint in Rei's eyes vanished, to be replaced by a guarded look. _Does she fear me so? _Jonathan wondered. "What is it that you want from me?" she asked, her tone wary.

"Don't worry, I mean no harm," Jonathan assured her. "I just… Well, I just want to show you something."

Rei looked at the mothers in askance, who, perhaps fearing disobeying the king's direct request, nodded tremulously. "Lead on then, my lord," she said, trying to keep her tone light, and failing miserably.

As Rei followed him, he wondered about the duality of her personality. For someone who had been fiery and challenging just a few seconds earlier, why did she suddenly become so wary? He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not notice the curious stare that Rei directed at him. It was only when they began walking to a different area of the palace grounds that she spoke up.

"The stables, my lord?"

Jonathan jerked his head, startled at the voice. He had almost forgotten where he was going. "Yes, the stables," he confirmed, grinning at her sheepishly as an apology for his absence.

"But why the stables?" Rei inquired. Her curiosity was such that she forgot to mock him with the title, and Jonathan noted this with amusement. "I do not spend a lot of time here and have no reason to… Oh!"

Jonathan walked and stood up right beside a beautiful palomino mare with a sidesaddle already on its back. "Do you like her?" he asked her, his question tentative, his eyes questioning. He felt uncertain, a rare emotion felt by Jonathan Argos, and he was unsure about how to deal with it. He was all too-used to being confident bordering on arrogant at times, prompting his friends to call him "Jonathan the Proud" jestingly.

"She is beautiful, but why… Are you…?" Rei looked at him questioningly.

Once again, Jonathan felt himself drowning in her eyes' violet depths. "Yes, she is, if you would have her," he found himself saying.

"But why?" Rei asked, her brow furrowed in confusion.

Jonathan shrugged to hide his nervousness. "I figured you needed something to while away the hours," he told her. "You spend most of the day cooped up in your room, and whenever you step out, you always find yourself surrounded with children."

Rei smiled then. "The children are no bother," she told him. "I like spending time with them."

"Oh." Jonathan did not know how to react to that. For him, it was practically impossible to find women who like children, even those who bore them. He forced a smile on his face. "So does that mean you do not want to keep Goddess?" he asked, putting the teasing tone back into his tone.

"Of course I do!" Rei exclaimed.

Jonathan chuckled at the vehemence in her tone. "Good answer." A thought suddenly popped in his head. "You do know how to ride horses, I hope?"

For some reason, an impish smile appeared on her face. "I believe I can, my lord," she said, and her smile was both mysterious and mischievous at the same time.

Jonathan smiled back. "Then you can have her," he said magnanimously. Rei smiled widely, and made to mount the horse, before Jonathan raised his hand. "You can have her, on two conditions."

Rei's grin faded somewhat, and her eyes took on that defensive look again. "Conditions, my lord?"

Jonathan raised his index finger. "First, you will cease to try to antagonize me every chance you get."

"I am not trying to antago-" Rei started to protest, but he quelled her argument with a single look.

"Lying does not become you, Rei," he admonished her gently, smirking when he saw the flood of color suddenly blossoming on her cheeks. "Yes, I believe you know what I am talking about. So I suggest a compromise." He raised his eyebrows when Rei opened her mouth to protest again. "You can go and mock me all you like, but do not try to do anything to anger me. I have a long patience, so I will not fall for that." This was not really true; the other nickname he earned from Endymion and the others was "Jonathan the Hothead", but he did not think Rei needed to know that. "At the same time, I will promise not to do the same thing to you. Deal?" As he spoke the last word, he raised his hand, poised for a handshake.

Rei did not accept the hand. "What's the second condition?" she asked, her tone still wary.

"Oh, that." Jonathan grinned at her again. That smile had been known to disarm many a lady, but Rei was unfazed. "The second condition is that you stop calling me 'my lord' or 'Your Un-Grace'. Those titles make me feel ancient. My name is Jonathan."

Rei's cheeks reddened again. "But that would be improper!" she cried out.

"Since when have you been concerned about propriety? Besides, I already call you by your first name, so what's the harm in you calling me by mine?" he countered. "Besides, I have never really felt comfortable with those titles. I was born a commoner, and still see myself as one."

"A commoner who lives in a palace," Rei muttered.

Jonathan heard her sardonic whisper. "Ah, ah! I thought we had a deal that you would not anger me anymore?" he reproved, shaking a finger at her, a small smile on his face.

"I haven't shaken your hand yet, my…" Rei started, but Jonathan raised his eyebrows at her again. "Jo-, Jonathan."

"That is better," he said, nodding slightly. "So are you declining my gift, or would you swallow your pride and accept these conditions?" he asked, smirking. He knew what her answer would be.

"Fine," Rei spat. She thrust her hand at him. "I agree to your conditions."

Instead of shaking her hand, Jonathan pulled it to his lips and kissed it lightly, surprising both of them with the action. Striving to cover the potentially awkward moment, he coughed slightly. "So do you want to give Goddess a test ride?" he asked. "I will just get my horse and…"

"No need, I can ride her on my own," she said impishly. Before Jonathan could figure out what she was about to do, she had leapt on the back of Goddess and urged her to a trot, and then at a canter. Exclaiming loudly, he called for the stable boys to bring his own mount out.

"Rei! You promised you would not do anything to anger me! Rei!"

All he heard in response was her tinkling laugh. Without having decided whether to laugh with her or strangle her, he mounted his own horse and took after Rei.

RJRJRJRJRJ

A/N: Sorry for the delayed update. I wanted to publish this before the New Year, but I had difficulty writing this chapter. I had something else in mind, but this came out instead.

I just want to make a request: for those reading this story, can you give me feedback on what you think so far? I'm kind of losing interest in writing this because I'm not really getting comments, so I don't really know if there are people who are reading this in the first place. It kind of makes me lose interest in finishing it if there's no one to read it in the first place. I'm not asking for much, just let me know of your presence on the reviews. You can just say, "I'm following your story" if you want, I'm not picky. I just want to know if there are still people reading this.:)


	6. Chapter 6

A/N:Thanks to TotallyCourts and SnowCharms for the messages.:) I really appreciate it.

For all the other readers, please do let me know what you think of the story so far. More than the ego thing, I want to get feedback so I'll know I'm headed in the right direction.

RJRJRJRJRJ

"_Hello, Fierra."_

"_Artemis! What are you doing here? Are the others fine?"_

"_Lux sent me. Everyone is doing well. The Princess Serenity is upset with you." _

"_So she knows I'm here." It wasn't a question._

_Artemis hesitated. "She knows you're not in the kingdom, but we've been trying to cover where you really are."_

"_Why? Because no one wants to tell her what the true roles of her ladies-in-waiting actually are?" Fierra's voice was bitter._

"_Fierra, you know that her thinking this is not her fault." His voice held a note of censure._

_Fierra was immediately contrite. "I know. I'm sorry. It's just… I wish she actually knew why we are always around her. It's better if she doesn't think we're vapid girls who would mindlessly giggle at just about anything."_

"_Now you're starting to sound like Astra," Artemis observed._

_Fierra refused to smile at the joke. "Why couldn't she know that we're guardians, protectors? It would be so much better for everyone if the truth came out."_

_Artemis looked at her sternly. "Because your life would be in greater danger than it already is."_

"_It already is," Fierra pointed out. "We can handle it."_

"_The danger is greater than you think," Artemis argued. "The magic here is darker and more immense than we previously thought. Have you any luck with your mission?"_

_Fierra sighed. "No. I've tried to do some fire readings, but I cannot see anything. It's…" she hesitated._

"_It's what?" Artemis asked, his tone sharp._

"_Never mind, you might think I'm being silly," Rei tried to disregard his question._

"_Fierra, I know you. Your instincts are almost never wrong. Tell me."_

_She sighed. "It's almost like someone is trying to block my visions," she said in a soft voice._

_Artemis's eyes went wide. "But who can it be?" he exclaimed. "Do you have a clue?"_

_Fierra shook her head. "What little I glimpsed in my visions were too vague to make sense. All I know is that there is great danger here, but I cannot tell what it is."_

_Artemis frowned. "This is the first time your visions have not been clear," he muttered. He looked at her. "Could it be affected by what you're thinking or feeling? Was your mind pre-occupied at that time?"_

"_No!"_

_Artemis looked at her, doubt in his face. "Are you certain? Because it seems that there is something that…"_

"_Nothing is bothering me," she said, her tone crisp._

"_If you say so," Artemis replied, but he did not look convinced. "You know why you're here, Fierra. We would not want your trip here gone to waste."_

"_I know what my duties are, Artemis." For all the room's warmth, the temperature seemed to go down considerably with her chilly tone._

_Artemis knew when he had gone too far. "I am not doubting your loyalties, Fierra." _

"_As you should," her tone was still cold. _

"_Look, just be careful. We are all worried about you."_

_Fierra sighed. She cannot hold her anger against him. She knew as well as he that the kingdom always came first. "How are Phobos and Daemos?"_

"_Upset. You never said your goodbyes to them. They said that once you return, they will never take their eyes off you again."_

_Fierra smiled wryly. "They'll live. My cousins are strong." She paused. "Do they suspect anything?"_

"_I think so. They may be young, but they are far from stupid."_

"_That's true, Artemis. I sometimes think that… Someone's coming!"_

RJRJRJRJRJ

Jonathan paused in front of Rei's door. There were people talking inside. He quickly identified Rei because of her musical voice, but the other one was unfamiliar. What's more, it was unmistakably male, even with the feminine name of "Artemis". Unaccountably, he was filled with jealousy, which caused him to rap the door louder than normal. "Rei, are you in there?" he called out, his voice harsh.

A few seconds later, Rei opened the door. She looked at him in askance. "Is there a problem, my l- Jonathan?" she asked, changing how she addressed him when she saw his eyebrows rise.

As always, Jonathan felt a thrill when she pronounced his name. "Who is Artemis?" he asked, without preamble.

Rei looked at him, surprise in her face. "How did you know about…" she began, but Jonathan cut her off.

"Who is Artemis?" he asked again, his teeth gritted. _She isn't even trying to deny the presence of the man!_

"Do you want to meet Artemis?" she asked hesitantly. She turned around and went inside her room again, with Jonathan right behind her.

"Of course I bloody want to meet the man! I want to know who… Oh."

Rei bent down and picked up a white cat, cradling it in her arms. "Milord Jonathan Herid, I would like to present you Artemis," Rei said, making her tone as formal as possible.

Jonathan looked at the cat, feeling as foolish as had ever been. _I was jealous of a cat! _He stared at the feline, and noticed something. "What's that?" he asked, pointing to the cat's forehead.

One of Rei's hands gracefully but quickly covered the mark on the cat's forehead. "A mark, nothing more. You were saying something about a man in my bedroom, my lord?" Her tone was deceptively sweet.

"Never you mind," Jonathan muttered. He made to turn around to leave the bedroom.

Rei followed him. "Did you really think I would allow a _man _in my bedroom?" she asked, her tone still poisonously saccharine.

"Look, I made a mistake, alright?" Jonathan burst out. "I am really sorry if I sounded accusatory, but I really thought there was a stranger in the house. I was just watching out for your safety!" He thanked the heavens for his glib tongue.

"Oh!" Rei exclaimed, licking her lips. "Well, you do not have to worry about me, my- Jonathan. I can take care of myself."

Jonathan harrumphed, showing her what he thought of her statement. "Where did you find the cat?" he growled out instead.

"It was more like he found me," Rei answered evasively. When Jonathan raised his eyebrows, she spoke quickly. "But if you do not want me to keep the cat, I can perfectly understand. I just thought you wouldn't mind if I took him in and…"

"Keep the cat," he said, interrupting her. "Why is it so hot in here?" he complained, looking around and noticing that the fireplace was alive with dancing flames.

Rei looked at him in confusion, perhaps because of his flitting thoughts. "I was cold," she answered defensively.

Jonathan looked at her in surprise. "Rei, we're in the middle of summer!"

"Nonetheless, that's what I felt. Is that why you came here, my lord? To ask about my temperature preferences?"

Jonathan heard the bite in her voice, and realized just how accusatory his words had been. _Fool, _he berated himself. _And all because of a stupid cat. _"No, I… I was actually going to invite you to go somewhere."

"You mean for a ride. Alright, I will just get my cloak and…"

"No," Jonathan said, stopping Rei from her progress to the wardrobe. "No, actually… He hesitated, and then pulled out an envelope from his jacket. "Here."

Rei looked at him curiously before taking the envelope. She opened it, and then looked at its contents. Her eyes scanned the first page, and then returned to his face. "A ball?"

Jonathan nodded. "It will be held tomorrow night at the Dayne mansion. It's just a few estates from here. I was wondering if you wanted to go with me."

Rei involuntarily took a step back. "A ball? Me? Why me?" she stammered.

Jonathan looked at her, surprised. He had thought that all women would be over the moon if they were invited to balls. "Why not you?" he asked, an eyebrow raised.

"All of the people who will be going here will be dignitaries, right?" Rei asked. Jonathan nodded. "I cannot face them, Jonathan! That would be improper!"

"Since when have you ever cared about propriety?" Jonathan asked her, feeling as though by the time their acquaintance ended (and his heart clenched at this), he would have told her this line a hundred times.

"Since the time you seemed to have lost your senses!" she exclaimed. "Jonathan, be serious!"

"I am serious!"

"No! You're the king. The ball is in your honor. All of the people who will be attending are well-known and I'm just…"

"No!" Jonathan cut her off, his tone harsh. "You are not 'just' someone, Rei."

Rei looked startled at his outburst. "But…" she started.

"No buts," Jonathan said firmly. "Will you be going with me to the ball or not?"

"Why me?" Rei asked again. "Are there not other ladies, other women who are more fitting of your station?"

Jonathan gave a bark of laughter. "Of course there are."

"Do they not like you?" Rei asked hesitantly.

Jonathan's laughter was without humor. "Of course they like me! They like me so much that they all want to marry me!" At Rei's surprised expression, his tone became gentle. "They are nothing but social climbers, Rei. They are vapid creatures who all dream of being queen of the East. Not one of them is genuine, at least, not like you."

Rei blushed at the last part. "But…"

"No buts," Jonathan repeated. "If I have to suffer through a ball, at least I would go through it with someone I like. Besides," and here he grinned, "I might need someone at my side who would be willing to deflate my ego and throw insults at me. It would be a refreshing change, especially if I am surrounded by people who would constantly tell me how gallant, chivalrous, and handsome I am."

Rei chuckled at that. "Yes, you do need a regular dose of that. But still…"

"What? You have another excuse for not going with me?" Jonathan exclaimed, mock-groaning.

"Well…" and here Rei looked at him again. This time, her expression was almost bashful. "I have nothing to wear."

"Oh." It was only then that Jonathan realized that all of her clothes were merely altered or modified from some of the women from the village. The simple dress she was wearing was obviously adjusted to fit her. "Well, I will get someone to call a modiste from town to bring her to you," he decided.

Rei reddened again. "You don't have to…"

"I don't," Jonathan agreed. "But I want to. It might give those wagging tongues something worth talking about," he chuckled at the thought. "Would you still want to go on that ride?"

"Certainly," Rei answered. The two headed out the door, not noticing the cat's unblinking eyes following them as they departed.

RJRJRJRJRJ

Jonathan's mouth was still curved into a smile as he went into his study. Rei had bidden him to leave her near the village because she wanted to see the children, and he allowed her to go. Nonetheless, it was her that was in his thoughts, and he found his grin growing wider as he thought about the past few days.

The past few days have been the happiest he had ever been, barring the times he had spent with his brothers. He told himself that it was merely because this was the first time he had met someone outside of Endymion and the others who was fun to be with, but he knew at the back of his mind that this was something more than that.

Rei was unlike any woman he had ever met. He had little respect for them before he met her, believing that they were all vicious, spiteful creatures who deserved what they got, an opinion stemming from the child in him who had been abandoned by his mother at an early age. His father had raised him and his brothers himself. Being the oldest child, Jonathan had seen just how broken up his bloodsire had been because of his mother's actions, and he resolved never to trust any woman anymore. But Rei was different. She was outspoken and honest, the only female he knew to be truthful. She was transparent about her emotions. When she was upset with him, she told him so. When she was excited about seeing a new sight, she would exclaim about it. She never pretended to be anyone else but herself, a surprising feat for someone who had lost all her memory.

She also had so much love for the village, especially for the children. Against his will, Jonathan found his mind leading to dangerous thoughts, but he did not try to summon the energy to stifle these. _It's only in my head, anyway_, he told himself, and so he allowed himself to dwell in these thoughts, a soft smile on his lips.

His daydreaming was rudely interrupted when his door banged open and Edward ran in, panting slightly. "My lord!" he exclaimed. "There… there is…" he gasped out, clutching the stitch on his mind.

Alert at once, Jonathan sprang to his feet. "Pull yourself together, man!" he barked. He pulled up a chair and offered it to Edward, who declined. "What happened?"

"Sire! The Reves' home is burning up!"

"What?" Jonathan exclaimed. Without realizing what he was doing, he found himself moving towards the door. "How bad is it?"

Edward followed right behind him, still gasping for breath. "The fire… Hasn't moved on… To the other houses yet… but it might… Only be a matter of time… Since… The wind's picking up."

"Is anyone hurt?" he asked curtly. His long legs had now brought him to the castle doors, and he pushed these open, half-walking, half-sprinting towards the stables.

"Not that… I'm aware of, but from what I heard… There were some still… Trapped inside when I left." Edward's eyes widened then. "The Lady Rei!"

If Jonathan was surprised to find his squire addressing Rei as such, he showed no indication. Instead, he paid more attention to the fear in the boy's voice. "Why? What happened to Rei?" he said, his voice sharp.

"Nothing, sire!" Edward was quick to assure him. "She was coming from the Deneres' house when the fire broke. I just remembered, the Reves' children were unaccounted for!"

At this, Jonathan broke into a run, and Edward was hard-pressed to follow him. The Reves children, Marithe and Joseph, ages 5 and 7. His heart clenched at the thought of what would happen if they…

They had reached the stables. "Our horses, and quickly!" he shouted. The stable boys brought two mounts out, but when one of them made a move to put a saddle on Edward's charger, he grabbed the reins. "There's no time for that!" Jumping on his steed's back, he urged it into a run, leaving Edward to fumble with the other stable boys to saddle his own horse.

Wind thundered in Jonathan's ears, but he paid these no mind. All he cared about was reaching the house on time. Memories flashed in his head, images of the kindly Reves home who always had a kind word to say to everyone they met.

From the distance, he could see the rage of the fire, more visible because of the darkening sky and the emerging stars. The sight enabled him to push his horse more, even as he muttered an apology to his steed for this and promising him a reward for his hard work later on. When he finally reached the town square, he was relieved to see Mario Reves and his wife huddled in one corner. At least they had made it out safe, as Edward had said. It took him a few seconds to realize that, far from being relieved, Natalia Reves was sobbing on her husband's shoulder. Some instinct made him search around the area, and his eyes did not find the characteristic raven hair and purple eyes from the sea of light-colored locks of the people of the East, and the Reves children were also conspicuously absent. His heart constricted. Jumping down from his mount, he strode off to where the Mario and Natalia Reves stood. "The children. Where are they?" he cursed himself for the constriction in his throat. The renewed sobs of Natalia answered his question better than mere words.

Mario looked at Jonathan, his eyes filled with hopelessness. "Your Grace, there was nothing we could do," he choked out. "The children… They… And Miss Rei !"

"Rei?" Jonathan asked sharply.

"Aye," Mario said glumly, hugging his wife and rubbing his wife's back to try to console her. "Her and the kids. She went in when she saw the fire and heard that the children were still trapped there. We haven't seen a trace of her since."

Without another word, Jonathan sprinted to the house. The villagers were passing buckets to each other to try to douse the flame, but the inferno raged, and he could do nothing but stare helplessly into the flames. Part of the roof had fallen, and most of the windows belched out hot fumes and fire. "Rei!" He yelled out, cupping his mouth to be heard. "Marithe! Joseph! Can you hear me? Rei!"

He tried to move closer to the fire, but Edward, who had finally caught up with him, tried to hold him back. "No, sire!"

Vainly, Jonathan tried to shake off the arm holding him. "Marithe! Joseph! Rei! Can you hear me? Answer me, damn it!" Cursing himself for not bringing his cloak with him, he began peering on the walls of the two-storey home, looking for a place that he could enter to save Rei and the children when the screams of the people distracted him. The villagers shouted and pointed, and it was then that Jonathan realized that there were moving shadows within the flames, getting bigger as they came close to the damaged door. Before he could do anything, Rei emerged from the fire, soot-stained but otherwise unhurt save for some spots on her overlarge dress burned, carrying the two children with her.

Jonathan knew that the villagers were screaming at the same time, and he was vaguely aware of Natalia pushing herself forward and wrapping her arms around her children, sobbing loudly. His eyes were only on Rei, who, for all the soot on her and for the obvious tiredness, looked more beautiful than ever, especially with that contented smile on her face as she saw the Reves family reunited. Before he knew what he was doing, he was moving towards her. Rei noticed his approach, and her smile somewhat dimmed, worry coming into her eyes. "Jonathan, I'm sorry that I…"

That was all she was able to say, for the next moment, Jonathan had enfolded her in his arms. "Shut up," Jonathan murmured, putting one hand to support her head while his other arm went around her waist, holding her close. "Do not say anything. Do not even think about doing that again. Thank the gods you are safe." Rei initially resisted, but eventually succumbed and brought her arms to his back, holding him back. There was chaos around them as the people tried to put out the fire, but everything was ignored by Jonathan, save for the young woman in his arms.


	7. Chapter 7

Jonathan had wanted to talk to Rei the following day before the ball, but the circumstances were not in his favor. The morning saw the arrival of the modiste, and it was all he could do not to bang his fists against the door to demand to see the young woman. Instead, he contented himself with gritting his teeth every time he passed by the door and saw that it was still closed, with feminine giggles erupting from the room every now and then. What made it worse were the half-whispered comments he heard.

"You look gorgeous, Rei!"

"Oh, but that's too revealing!"

"But that might be too improper!"

"His Grace will certainly love _that_!"

When his fourth return came and saw that the fitting had still not ended, he threw up his hands in frustration and headed out of the castle to go on his own errand. By the time he got back, luncheon was already finished and Rei had gone to her room to retire for the afternoon. Jonathan had been willing to wait for her to wake up, but ladies, including Lydia, whisked to her room to prepare her for the ball, for some of the dresses made by the modiste, including the gown that she will be wearing for the night, have already been delivered. Jonathan looked incredulously at the battalion of women who suddenly barged in Rei's room. There was no possible way that she needed all of them, especially when she was already pretty begin with! Jonathan opened his mouth to say exactly that, but he was shushed by the ladies who told him to get dressed himself, and then proceeded to close the door in his face. He gaped at the door. They actually _slammed _the door in his face! He, the king! Shaking his head at the strangeness of women, he headed for the stables. He figured a ride would clear his head; it was really too early to prepare for the ball. On his way, he spotted his squire, and asked him to deliver a message to Rei, deliberately ignoring the smirk that appeared on his face and threatening him bodily harm should he even think about opening the folded piece of paper and reading its contents. It was only after his ride that he began his preparations for the ball, all the while thanking the gods that he was born as a man and did not need a battalion to get him get dressed for the evening. After he bathed and dressed up, he headed down to his study to wait for Rei.

His wait wasn't long. Pretty soon, a soft knock came. Jonathan coughed to clear his throat, and said, "Come in," hoping his voice was not as high-pitched as it sounded in his ears.

The vision he saw made him want to clear his throat again. He swallowed, and drank in the sight of her. He thought he knew now why the women who went with Rei said that they thought that the gown was improper. Instead of the uninspiring white that maidens were made to wear, she wore a bold scarlet. The color somehow fitted her, almost as though she was born to wear that color and that gown, which were as vibrant as her personality. It took almost a minute before he realized that he was being addressed to. His eyes went back to her face, and he swallowed again. Her hair had been put up in a simple but elegant style, and some rouge has been applied to her cheeks and lips and a hint of charcoal on her eyelids, making her eyes appear even larger than they already were and emphasizing their violet depths. He shook his head, forcing it to clear. "Yes, Rei?" he managed to croak out.

"You summoned me, my lord?" For the first time, the title did not appear to be mocking, and Jonathan was stunned to find that Rei sounded almost shy.

"Oh," Jonathan managed to choke out. "I am sorry, Rei, I did not expect to find you so… So…"

Rei reddened. "Do I look hideous, my lord?"

"No!" Jonathan exclaimed, and colored himself when he heard the vehemence in his own voice. "No, you look far from hideous. I've always known that you are attractive, Rei, but tonight, you look beautiful."

Rei's cheeks deepened in color. "Thank you, my l- Jonathan."

Jonathan's throat tightened as always at the sound of his name on her lips. It was all he could do not to damn the ball into oblivion and just spend the night with the lovely creature in front of him. "You're quite welcome, although I do not see why you're so surprised. Surely a lot of men have already told you how beautiful you are in the past."

If possible, Rei's cheeks reddened even more. "No, my lord," she half-whispered, looking at her shoes.

"I'm so sorry, Rei, I forgot," Jonathan muttered, abashed. _Idiot! Of course she doesn't remember! She lost her memories! _

Rei summoned a smile to her face, although there was still a hint of pink in her cheeks. "It's perfectly fine, Jonathan," she said softly. "Was there a reason why you called me?"

Jonathan was momentarily taken aback, but then regained his senses. He had almost forgotten why he had called for her. He went around the table. "I have something for you," he announced, and then pulled a black velvet box, a little larger than his hand, from one of the drawers, and handed it to her.

"What…?" Rei asked, looking at Jonathan questioningly.

"Open it," Jonathan encouraged, unable to prevent a slight tremble in his voice which hinted at his nervousness.

Rei opened the box, and gasped out loud. Nestled on the velvet bed was a choker laden with rubies and diamonds, with matching earrings and bracelet. "Jonathan! I can't accept this!" Rei gasped out, attempting to thrust the box back in his hands.

"You can, and you will," Jonathan said firmly, stepping back so he wouldn't have to take the box being shoved to him.

"But I can't!" Rei exclaimed. "This must be worth a fortune!"

"And I'm a king, so I can afford it," Jonathan said, a hint of teasing in his voice. "Look, I will not force you to keep it as yours, but can you at least wear it for tonight? I had it made for you, just so you can have something to wear on the ball. I do not want my partner to come without any baubles," he said, grinning, then held up his hands when Rei opened her mouth. "I'm just teasing, Rei. Just wear it for tonight. Please," he pleaded softly.

Rei's eyes visibly softened when she heard the pleading tone in his voice. "Well, alright," she agreed, and was gratified when she saw the pleased grin on Jonathan's face. She put on the earrings and the bracelet, but had trouble with the necklace's clasp.

Finally, Jonathan spoke. "Would you need help with that?"

"Yes, please", came Rei's whispered response, and she, Jonathan was pleased to see, blushed again. He gently took the choker from her hands and wore it around her neck. He concentrated on setting the clasp, trying desperately to fight the urge not to touch her bare skin even more than he should. He breathed a sigh of relief, a sound echoed surprisingly by Rei.

"Where did you get this, anyway?" Rei finally spoke, and the tense moment diffused.

"I picked it up this morning," Jonathan said evasively. He could not bring himself to tell her that the jewelry had been ordered by Endymion for the four of them, for him, and Zachary and Nathaniel and Kaelan, to have, what Endymion had teasingly called "bribes for brides": jewelry for the women they had chosen to be their wives. Rei did not have to know that the jewelry was made specifically for the one who will be sitting as the Queen of the East. At least, not yet.

Rei's eyebrows rose. Evidently, she did not fully believe Jonathan's answer. "And why did you give it to me?"

Jonathan coughed. He had wanted to make his declaration later on after the ball, but it looked like circumstances were forcing him to speak up earlier than planned. "Rei, last night…" He coughed to clear his throat again. "Last night, during the fire, I was so scared. I felt so useless and…"

"You're not useless!" Rei said, and Jonathan was surprised to hear the ferocity in her voice.

"What?" he asked, confused.

"Don't ever call yourself useless, Jonathan Herid," Rei growled, in that same fierce tone that she used. "You put too little importance to yourself. Don't you know how much your people love you? You're good to them."

"Well, I'm well loved, I am. I'm such a good king that I was unable to rescue even two children," Jonathan said, unable to keep the bitterness from his voice.

"Stop it!" Rei exclaimed. "You _are _a good king. Only a good one would have gone to his people to ask them how they are, to mourn with them when they lose a loved one, and to simply just be there for them. You may not have gone in to save the children, Jonathan, but you _were _there, and that is enough for the people. No other king I know would have done the same thing as you did."

"How many kings do you know?" Jonathan asked dryly.

To his surprise, Rei reddened, and muttered something indistinguishable. Speaking a little more loudly, she continued, "You may not know it, but the people do love you. I've talked to them, and they all say the same thing. They love you because you're good to them. You want to make sure that they're always well taken care of, and they appreciate that."

Jonathan smiled a semblance of his cocky grin. "So you were asking about me, hmmm?" Rei reddened even more. "I'm just teasing," he said, taking mercy on her. "Anyway, going back to what I was saying, I was never more afraid in my life than when I saw you emerge from the flames, Rei. Not even in the heat of battle did I feel that kind of fear." He swallowed, remembering the lump in his throat and how his heart clenched when he saw her outline among the burning remains of the house.

"So what are you trying to say?" Rei whispered. She was looking down at her feet again. Jonathan reached with one hand and tilted her chin up, forcing her to look at his face.

"Rei, what I'm trying to tell you is that…" Jonathan started, his voice low and hoarse, when a knock suddenly interrupted them.

"Your Grace?" Edward's voice came clearly. "The carriage has arrived."

"Thank you, Edward," Jonathan said curtly, unable to keep the annoyance in his voice. "We'll continue this later," he promised, and extending an arm to Rei, they walked towards the door and out of the study, heading for the carriage that awaited them.

RJRJRJRJRJ

Jonathan watched Rei broodingly as she whirled around the dance floor, laughing at some jest her partner told her. He was expecting that the crowd would push her away, to treat her as an outsider or a usurper. He was expecting that they would cut her off, snub her, and he half-imagined himself playing the role of the hero of the ballroom, saving her from the dragons of society.

What he was not expecting was that she would be an instant hit, especially with the male half of the ball's attendees. Which was why he found himself watching the dancing from the sidelines, surrounded by the vapid women he had complained to Rei about, while his partner herself whirled about with different men. He almost regretted that moment of chivalry he experienced that prompted him to declare Rei as a cousin. _To protect her virtue_, he had told himself, and it did work, but maybe a little too well. The sight of an attractive, obviously unattached female sent the men running in her direction. The fact that she was a cousin to the East King only added to her appeal, especially to the penniless lords and lordlings who were looking into marrying young women with large dowries to fatten their purses. It didn't hurt that she, surprisingly, had excellent manners, almost as though she was born to meet people in ballrooms. Men of all shapes and sizes rushed to her side, even tottering Count Levins, who couldn't be younger than eighty, and Sir Euan Humphrey, who was so rotund he wheezed with every breath he took. It would have been amusing if it wasn't so infuriating. As such, his teeth have been clenched for almost the entire night, willing himself not to punch the next man who so much as smiled at Rei.

It didn't help that he himself was surrounded by women, who tittered at everything he said no matter how stupid or rude his comments were. The sight of one of the lordlings whispering in Rei's ear while they were dancing proved to be too much. Jonathan jumped to his feet.

"Will you be getting drinks, Your Grace?" The curly, red-haired strumpet asked. She was a little older than the other ladies, perhaps having five years over Jonathan. Nevertheless, she tried valiantly to flirt with him. "Can you get one for me too?" she asked, fluttering her eyelashes.

"Get one yourself," Jonathan said, gritting his teeth even more. Ignoring the woman's outraged gasp and the nervous giggles, he marched to the middle of the ballroom and tapped the shoulder of Rei's partner. At least, he told himself he would only tap the shoulder. His hand thought otherwise, and the lordling Rei was dancing with almost fell to his knees from the pressure before he righted his balance.

"Your Grace," the lordling gasped out, his lips attempting to smile but only ended up grimacing, even as he tried to rub his shoulder as unobtrusively as possible. "I was just talking with your cousin."

"Yes, I could see that," Jonathan growled out. "But now I want to talk to her. Do you mind me cutting in?"

The lordling looked like he did mind, but he knew better than to argue with his king, especially one who looked like he succeeded in breaking his shoulder without much effort and who could possibly knock him out cheerfully with a single punch to the face. He tried to bow as gracefully as possible while still nursing his shoulder and then walked away from the ballroom, wincing with each step.

Rei looked at Jonathan, amusement in her eyes and lips. "That wasn't very nice," she murmured.

"Well, I'm not really feeling nice," Jonathan said mulishly. "Let's go," he said, taking her by the hand and pulling her away from the ballroom as well.

"Where are we going?" Rei asked, trying to match Jonathan's long strides as best as she could.

"To the gardens. I need some air," he answered shortly.

It only took a few seconds for them to make their way into the open area, with the people, catching sight of Jonathan's expression, parting hurriedly to let them pass. He breathed deeply. "That's much better," he murmured.

Rei giggled and was about to say something, when she stiffened. Jonathan looked at her concernedly. "Rei? Is there something wrong?" Instead of answering, Rei continued to look into the ballroom, her eyes narrowed. Following her gaze, he saw who she was looking at. The curly, red-haired woman stared back at them, her glare obvious even from the distance. Suddenly, recognition came. "Oh damn," Jonathan whispered, almost to himself. "Endymion's going to kill me."

Almost as though the expletive was meant to awaken her, Rei shook her head and looked at him. "What did you say?"

"Sorry, it's only now that I recognized her. The woman. She's the only child of Lord Daryne, the senior council member who is Endymion's strongest supporter. I was rude to her. I offended one of the king's main supporter. Endy's going to kill me," Jonathan moaned.

Rei's lips twitched into a smile. "I don't think he's going to kill you," she soothed. "You told me that the five of you are as close as brothers can be. I don't think he's going to kill you, if that's the case."

"Maybe not. He might do something worse. Actually, Lady Beryl tried earlier to get Endymion to marry her, but he rejected her. It's a wonder Lord Daryne continued his support even after the scandal that the whole debacle caused. The tie might end up completely broken once they found out I was rude to her. He will really kill me," he said, moaning comically again, causing Rei to laugh. "Walk with me," Jonathan said, holding his arm to her. "At least I will have the company of a beautiful woman before my death." Blushing even as she laughed again, she took his arm, and together they walked along the stone path. As they moved, Jonathan continued pointing out the various dignitaries and made side commentaries.

"See that? That's Lady Mescha. She has been married five times now, and they say she killed her husbands to get their money."

"Look at the bald guy over there. That's Marquis Juilin. He fled the country a few years back because of debts he collected because of his addiction to gambling, but now he's back. Probably paid off the debtor's prison so he would not be arrested."

"That's Lord Clarence. Notice how his hair's all thick and shiny? That's actually fur from raccoons."

Jonathan kept the amusing commentary as they walked, prompting Rei to swallow her giggles as they met with the same people he was making fun of. At some point, she burst out laughing when she saw the old, fat Lord Henley, whose creaking whale supporters broke the silence offered by the gardens. She hastily covered her mouth to keep her giggles from escaping, but some of the people left the area, looking scandalized.

"Now, Rei, that wasn't nice to do," Jonathan admonished, grinning at her.

"It's your fault," she said, grinning back. "If you had not made mention of his braces…"

"Then you would still have heard him puffing and creaking as he walked," Jonathan continued with aplomb, prompting Rei to laugh again. Now that they were alone, he did not regret bringing her here, even just for her giggles. He liked hearing her laugh, and he was prepared to go through all of the events all over again just to get her to do so, even if it meant being surrounded by brainless ninnies.

"You're staring at me," Rei murmured embarrassedly, breaking Jonathan's line of thought.

He smiled at her again. "I can't help it. You're beautiful," he said softly.

Rei blushed again. "Jonathan, don't…" she started, but Jonathan cut her off.

"Rei, just listen to me. I know we haven't known each other for long, but you made me feel so many things in the past months than I have ever had in my life. No, let me finish," he said, stopping her from speaking by raising one hand. "You're right. Over the years, I thought it was useless, worthless, and it was all because of the mother who left my family when I was young. I thought women were nothing but liars and deceivers… Until I met you." He slowly ran a finger down Rei's cheek, and felt her shudder. His heart leapt. "I had a heart of stone, Rei, but you came and made me human. What I'm trying to say is…" Unable to think of the words to say, he simply bent his head down and kissed her.

The kiss was unlike anything he had ever experienced, and more than he could have possibly dreamt. There was sweetness in Rei's lips, and he found himself deepening the kiss, wanting to drink more of her sweetness. His heart sang with joy when she felt her respond, but all too soon, it was over, and she was pushing him away with a dazed look in her eyes. His heart clenched at the fear in her eyes, but above all, at the self-loathing he saw in their violet depths.

"No," she choked out.

"Rei," he whispered, half-reaching to her.

"No," she said again, stepping back, her voice hoarse. "I cannot. My vow… I made a vow!" In so saying, she turned on her heel and ran off.

"Rei!" Jonathan shouted. He was about to run towards her, when someone appeared from the shadows.

"Family troubles?" Beryl Daryne said, her voice silky.

"Milady Beryl," Jonathan acknowledged, stopping in his tracks. He could not afford to pull the same stunt as he had earlier. Endymion would not have forgiven him if his strongest supporter turned against him because of the rudeness of one of his subordinates. "Have you been here long?" he asked, his tone wary. It would not do to have news spread around that he was kissing his cousin.

"I have only just arrived," Beryl said, her lips twisting in what might have passed as a smile. "I heard you yelling, and I thought I would go and investigate. Walk with me?"

Left with no choice, Jonathan extended his arm to Beryl. As they walked, he tried to keep an eye out for Rei, but there was no hint of a scarlet dress, raven hair, or lavender eyes to be seen in the garden.

RJRJRJRJRJ

Thanks for those who left their reviews! I really appreciate it.^^

Just some quick shout-outs: Lethal-Siren, SnowCharms, TotallyCourts: Thanks so much for the reviews!

Requiem of Fire: Thanks for the heads up, changed the settings now.:)

Just a note: I've mapped out the story, and it looks like this story is only going to be 10 or 11 chapters long + epilogue, so we're more than halfway done now. I might continue this story with a sequel but it really depends on… Well, you'll see what I mean when I reach the end of it. I don't want to give any more details at this point in time, but I just thought to give you guys a heads up in case you get shocked that the story's only a few chapters away from ending.

Oh, and apologies for spelling, typographical, and grammatical errors I've made so far. I rarely edit what I write, so there are inevitably stuff that get carried on to the actual story. Sorry about that.

Thanks for reading, and again, please leave me a review and let me know what you think.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: I'm really sorry that this was delayed for several months. I got held up in school, and by the time I finished all of my stuff, all of my ideas for this story somewhat fizzled away. I'm only now getting back in track, so forgive me if this chapter sounds off. Anyway, here's the continuation, and I hope you like it. It's quite short, but I wanted this whole story to be a little longer, and for that, I needed to cut this chapter right here. Please do leave me a review about what you think.:)

xxx

Jonathan walked in the palace grounds, feeling like his world tipped to one side while he was not paying attention. As if on cue, the subject of his thoughts suddenly appeared a short distance in front of him. Her dark hair fanning behind her back, forming a sharp contrast with the pristine whiteness of her dress, Rei's beauty was visible even from the distance. As quickly as she appeared, however, she disappeared, most probably because she spotted Jonathan as well.

The young king tried without much success to stifle a groan. It did not take a genius of Zachary's level to notice that the woman has been avoiding him since the night of the ball. Oh, he tried to talk to her. In fact, he did everything he could to even just see her, but his efforts were to naught. He has always been an early riser, having had his training from the military, so he figured that he would just wait a short distance from her door to await for her, while at the same time keeping his distance to keep the servants from being scandalized. Even if he woke early though, she was far quicker, and as such, she was already out of the castle grounds even before the crack of dawn. She had also taken to eating in the village to avoid sharing meals with him. When Jonathan tried to look for her in the small town, he found no clue where she went. Either she disappeared into thin air every time he stepped foot in the village, or the townspeople were doing their role to keep him from hiding her. He was more in favor of the latter happening, especially since they, particularly the women, giggled every time he would ride by in the off chance of spotting Rei. They loved their king, true, but their hearts were all captured by the young woman, especially after she dared rescue the children in the fire in what seemed like ages ago. No, they were willing to defy their king just so they can stay true to some promise they made to the young woman, and it was all he could do not to command them to present her to him. It was simply not in his nature to force people, especially women, although he had found himself prohibiting the villagers from letting Rei sleep in the village, which is probably the only reason why she still went to the castle to get some rest at the end of the day, and she arrived late enough that he was already busy with his sword training that he promised his king he would not stop doing.

That's not to say that he never saw Rei. Jonathan gritted his teeth when he remembered just what those times were. If the young woman was not in the village, she was spotted riding with one of the overdressed dandies from the ball. He felt that their bright clothes and perfumed handkerchiefs were too much, but it seemed that Rei did not think so, judging from the way she would laugh gaily as she passed by Jonathan as she rode, along with the inevitable boy who accompanied her. Jonathan could only take heart in the fact that her laughs sounded false in his ears, and the fact that she alternated between avoiding his eyes and challengingly giving him a sardonic stare as she went by.

He knew those things meant he still had an effect on her, and for that his heart still felt a twinge of hope.

Of course, he wasn't without admirers himself, the chief one being the Lady Beryl. Jonathan felt that every time he turned around, the red-haired strumpet would be right there, smiling and fluttering her eyelashes at him. It was only his promise to Endymion and his friends to be polite to a political ally that prevented him from telling her rudely to go away. Unfortunately, that seemed to be an event that's far in the horizon. As the Lady Beryl herself had tittered to him, she would be staying in the country to "get some air". Jonathan could only shake his head at the idiocy of that statement. It was not like Elysion, the Earth's capital where Endymion's palace was located and where the Daryne estates are located, had air that was bad for the lungs. He could only hope that she had not set her sights on him, or he would be forced to take measures that would surely anger his liege.

He set his shoulders. _You cannot avoid me forever_, he thought grimly, resolutely following after the figure in white. Better for her to yell at him for following her than for her not talking to him at all. With that thought in mind, he strode in the direction he was sure she was headed to.

His hunches were right, but unfortunately, his evaluation of the situation was not. Rei was indeed at the stables, but she was far from alone. Instead, a dandy was fawning over her, his bright clothes clashing horribly and serving as a beacon in its own right, a boy who was not even old enough to shave yet. Jonathan gritted his teeth again and marched to them.

"Rei, _cousin_, I have been looking all over for you," Jonathan said, forcing his voice to sound jovial, a feat difficult enough to do in his current mood without his teeth being gritted as well. "I was hoping you and I could go for a ride, but it seems that _young _Borgin here has beaten me to it." To his delight, he saw Rei's cheeks redden, but she stared defiantly at him.

"Er, Bearwin, Your Grace," the boy stuttered, obviously startled by the appearance of his king. "I wanted to drive Miss Herid in my new curricle. If you do not mind, sir," he added hastily.

"Oh, your new curricle, is it, Bernold?" Jonathan said, politeness dripping in every word. "I do not suppose Rei would approve of that, since she prefers riding without the carriage." He almost grinned at the way the young man in front of him sputtered, apologizing profusely to Rei for offering her a curricle ride.

Rei, however, came to Bearwin's rescue. Giving Jonathan a steely gaze, she assured that the boy that a ride in the curricle was something that she welcomed. Glaring at Jonathan, she said, "Well, we must be off, _cousin_ dearest. I suppose we took up too much of your time already, time you would have spent, I am sure with the Lady Beryl."

As though her words summoned the red-haired woman, she suddenly appeared by Jonathan's elbow. "So this was where _you _were, Your Grace," she tittered, fluttering her eyebrows at him. "I was looking for you everywhere! You should have told me you wanted to go for a ride. I _love _riding, don't you?"

Jonathan stifled another groan, especially when he saw the impish gleam in Rei's eyes. _Oh, but she is enjoying this_, he thought. _Well, I was never one to back down from a challenge_. He grinned sardonically back at Rei, before turning to Lady Beryl. "Milady, I beg your pardon. I did not know that you were here. I was not aware of the fact that you love riding. In that case, I don't suppose I could invite the two of us to join the ride that young Bernard here organized, right?" Jonathan had the satisfaction of wiping the grin off Rei's face, although his pleasure was somewhat dulled by Bearwin's stutters of it being no problem at all for him and the Lady Beryl to join them, and the red-haired woman burying her nails in his arm.

"Oh, what a marvelous idea!" Beryl trilled. "It would give your cousin and I a chance to get to know each other, wouldn't you say, Miss Herid?"

Rei had begun her protests, but her words died off when she saw something in the Lady Beryl's face. Her eyes widened. Visibly swallowing, Rei pasted a smile on her lips and agreed that yes, there are some things that she wanted to find out about the Lady Beryl.

If Jonathan was not so distracted, he would have noticed that the smiles of the women did not quite reach their eyes.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: Thanks for the reviews so far. I'm a bit surprised that a lot of people are surprised about the appearance of Beryl. She plays a major part in the story, so yeah, I didn't just put her here as an ornament.

Btw, "Ashes and Secrets" might end in a few chapters. I'm thinking of making a follow-up story to this one, or at least write some companion pieces where the other senshi meet the other Shitennou. What do you guys think?

As always, thanks for reading. Reviews are always welcome.:)

RJRJRJ

"_Fierra!"_

"_Artemis! You startled me!"_

_The white cat looked at the raven-haired girl with surprise in his eyes. "Surprise? I did not expect you to have such a human emotion, Fierra, especially not from a guardian."_

_Fierra heard the reprimand in his voice. "I am sorry, Artemis. I have not been able to meditate that much lately."_

"_Have you really not been meditating, or is there something bothering you?" Artemis's voice radiated concern, but there was something else there, something Fierra could not identify. "How goes your mission?" He asked, changing the topic, for which the girl was thankful._

"_I believe that the source of energy is the Daryne chit." _

"_Then eliminate her." _

"_I would if I could, but I am not yet aware if she knows about this power or not," Fierra said, trying to hide her shock at the cold calculation in Artemis's voice._

"_Mercy, from the lady of war? That's surprising," Artemis quipped._

"_It's not mercy," Fierra said heatedly. "You know as well as I how these mortals are about magic. I need to be careful, otherwise, our kingdom might be put at risk." _

"_Is that all that concerns you?" Artemis asked, his tone probing._

"_What is that supposed to mean, Artemis?" Fierra answered, anger in her voice. "Do you think I choose to stay on Earth for fun? Do you believe that I am not doing what I can in order to solve this problem? Then by all means, pull me out of this job and assign someone else!" _

_Artemis deflated at Fierra's anger. "That is not what I mean, Fierra." This time, his voice was conciliatory. "I am just concerned that your priorities may have changed."_

"_And what do you think I am prioritizing now?" Her voice, in contrast, was eerie in its coolness._

"_The human."_

"_I know what my duties are, Artemis." Fierra's voice remained cold. "I have not forgotten my vow."_

"_Sometimes, I wonder if your vow was made earlier than it should."_

"_What do you mean?"_

"_You were practically a child when you made your vow to the princess, Fierra. A lot could have changed then."_

_A pause. "Even if things did change, it does not mean that my commitment has wavered. I know what my duties and responsibilities are. It was a… Pleasure talking to you, Artemis. I will talk to you soon."_

RJRJRJRJ

"Rei, are you there?" Jonathan asked, knocking softly on her door. Ever since the ride, the young woman seemed to not avoid him as much as she did before, even though she took care not to spend some time alone with him. Even so, she seemed to have remarkable timing, as she was always around every time the Lady Beryl would come and visit. On one hand, Jonathan was pleased that he could see her again, but on the other, he found himself getting headaches from all the sniping the two women did. Initially, he felt flattered and hopeful because there seemed to be a touch of jealousy in Rei's voice. As the days passed, however, he was starting to become suspicious that there was more to it than that. Certainly, Rei always had an angry expression every time Lady Beryl tried to cozy it up with him, but there was something more there. Somehow, Jonathan could not believe that this was the typical cattiness of women that Nathaniel always talked about.

He was still standing in front of Rei's door when one of the maidservants passed by the door. "My lord, if you are looking for Miss Rei, I thought I saw her going to the archery range."

"Many thanks, madame," Jonathan said, bowing politely at the maidservant, who scurried along. _The archery range? What would she be doing there? It is far from the stables. _Even so, he made his way to the archery range in the off-chance of finding her there.

When he did find her, his breath was taken away with what he witnessed. He had spied her form quite a distance away. Seeing that she had a bow in her hands, he thought that she was just trying to play with the weapon, especially since the longbows were designed for strong warriors as bending the bow took a lot of effort in itself. He was surprised not only to see that she bent the bow effortlessly, she was able to hit the target quite easily.

Seeing the target, he was actually surprised to see that the red mark at the center was riddled with arrows.

"You did all that?" He choked out. Not even in Jonathan's wildest dreams could he hit all of his arrows at the target. None of his brothers-in-arms could. _How could a slight girl do this? _

Rei whirled around. "My lord! You startled me!"

"Didn't I tell you to get rid of that 'my lord' business?" Jonathan managed to tease, but he was still wide-eyed as his gaze alternated between the target and the bow in the dark-haired young woman's hands.

Rei followed his eyes and then blushed. "I am sorry for wasting the arrows, but your weapons master allowed me to practice. I can easily remove these arrows so that you can use these again."

_My weapons master allowed _her _to use the archery field_? Santiago wasn't the type of man who would easily let anyone use the kingdom's weapons, especially not young women. "To hell with the arrows. How did you manage to shoot in that way?" Jonathan exclaimed, his surprise preventing him from using polite speech. Rei made no reply and only turned away. "Rei, sorry. I keep forgetting about your lost memories."

Rei gave him a small smile. "Don't worry, milord. It didn't bother me. I suppose you don't want me to use the archery field anymore."

"Of course you can use it!" Jonathan answered immediately. He wasn't sure which surprised him even more, Rei's skill with the bow and arrow, or the fact that she was talking to him again as though he didn't have the plague. A sudden idea struck him. "How good are you with other weapons?"

"Mi- Jonathan?" Rei asked, in response to Jonathan's quirked eyebrows.

A grin appeared on his features. "Follow me." In so saying, he led her to the courtyard where his swordsmen were training.

"Swords, Jonathan?" It was Rei's turn to quirk an eyebrow at him. "Do you actually want to kill me?"

At this, Jonathan laughed. "I do admit I want to strangle you at times for being stubborn, but no, I have no intention of killing you. I was wondering if you wanted to spar with me."

A look of indecision flitted across Rei's face. "It wouldn't be proper…" she started, but Jonathan cut her off.

"Since when have you cared about propriety?" Jonathan teased. "Look, if you don't know how to use a sword, then that's fine, I can teach you. At least you get to learn something from this. However, if you actually know how to use a sword, holding one in your hands might just jog your memory, so you will also get something out of it."

"But what if…?"

"It will be fine," Jonathan coaxed. "Look, we'll be using wooden swords so no one gets hurt," he cajoled, handing one of these to her. "Unless you're scared," he added, smirking.

That did it. Rei snatched the wooden sword from his hand. "I am not scared of you, Jonathan Herid," she growled, taking a stance.

Jonathan saw her stance, and more questions erupted in his head. While he wasn't familiar with that specific stance, he knew an experienced sword wielder when he saw one. Without warning, he attacked, which Rei easily blocked. Yes, she definitely knew how to use the weapon.

"Let's make our sparring interesting, Rei," he said.

"I don't trust your smile," Rei growled, as she tried to slash him from the side.

"Come on, sparring's not that interesting without any bets," Jonathan teased, easily sidestepping her attack and counterattacking.

Rei blocked the stab. "Fine. What's the bet?"

"If I win, you will need to answer all of the questions that I ask."

Rei's pause nearly got her hit on the side if she did not dodge quickly. "And if I win?"

"If you win, then I will need to give you anything you ask for." Jonathan grinned then. "After all, I am a king, and kings can give a lot of things."

"Fine."

Jonathan did not expect the next minutes to be difficult. He figured he would ease up on the fighting and focused instead of blocking. He did not really want to beat Rei, only he wanted to get her to answer some things and he could not think of any other way for her to respond. What he didn't count on was the fact that Rei fought as she did. She expertly blocked every slice and thrust he threw at her, dodging and rolling when she can without care of ruining her dress. She gave as good as she got, and at times, Jonathan was hard-pressed to block to avoid having several bruises the next day. He may be stronger, but she was faster. He was not giving his best, certainly, but he had a sneaking suspicion that Rei was also not giving her all in the fight. Even so, the fight was good enough to draw the attention of some of his warriors who have been training.

"Come on, Jonathan," Rei mocked. "It's not too late for you to surrender. You wouldn't want your men to see their king falling to a girl, would you?"

"I already have fallen," Jonathan said honestly.

At this, Rei almost tripped, steadying herself. Her stagger was enough for him to mark her with his sword. "Cheater!" Rei said angrily.

"What? It's not like I'm lying," Jonathan said, grinning. He was surprised at how she was still able to talk even if they had been fighting for several minutes already, and even more so because she seemed genuinely angry and surprised at his statement.

Rei growled and unleashed a barrage of attacks, and her speed allowed her to get several hits on Jonathan. Instead of wincing in pain, the young man chuckled. "Are you the one who's trying to kill me now, Rei?"

"Jonathan? Fighting with a girl?"

"She's a beaut, too. No wonder he hasn't been attending the council meetings."

"Herid's going to lose to a girl!"

The new voices distracted Jonathan. As he was about to turn his head toward the voices, he felt a sharp whack on his head, and he was only able to see Rei's shocked face and the amused faces of Nathaniel, Zachary, and Kaelan before he fell unconscious.


	10. Chapter 10

Jonathan rudely came to when he felt a sharp, tingling pain on his head.

"Ow!" he yelped, sitting up and glaring at the person who inflicted the pain, who happened to Rei.

"Don't be such a child, _milord_," Rei said haughtily, dragging him toward her and dabbing at the wound on his head with a piece of cloth. "It's not that big of a wound."

"Yes, Jonathan, do not whine so much," Nathaniel hooted. It was only then that Jonathan noticed him, Zachary, and Kaelan standing at the corner of his bedroom, all three attempting, and failing to conceal their grins. "The lady will not believe that you are truly one of Earth's generals if a simple scratch will hurt you so. It's bad enough that you got beaten by her, but to complain when she has gracefully volunteered to tend to you…"

"I think you owe the lady an apology, Jonathan," Kaelan said. Jonathan nearly groaned when he saw that his captain, the one with the usually impassive face, was also valiantly trying to keep his lips from twitching at the corners.

Jonathan looked guiltily at Rei. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No harm done," Rei said briskly. She stood up. "Anyway, that is all I can do. You may want to have someone check your wound in case of problems. I can see that your friends have something to say to you, so I will take my leave now." She inclined her head to the three men. "It was a… Pleasure to meet you," she said briefly, and then walked out the door. Before she stepped out of the opening, she looked at Jonathan. "And remember, you owe me a favor." In so saying, she stepped out and closed the door behind her.

The moment that she left, all three crowded around Jonathan, their grins wide. "Spirited girl," Zachary commented dryly.

"So who is the chit, Jonathan?" Nathaniel asked conspiratorially, his eyebrows wiggling. "Is she the one you mean to make the Lady Herid? Should I start calling her 'milady' now?"

"She is not my lady," Jonathan said angrily, trying valiantly to stand up and then collapsing back on his bed with a thump. Wooden swords or not, it _hurt_. _She couldn't have just tapped me gently on the forehead_, he found himself complaining in his head.

"So she is not to be the new Lady Herid?" If possible, Nathaniel's grin grew wider. "Well, then, if that is the case, then I think I will go up to her and…" The brown-haired man made to stand up from the bed.

"You will do no such thing, if you mean to keep your ears," Jonathan growled, and then realized his mistake when his three friends laughed outright.

"Looks like someone's in love," Zachary sang out, poking Jonathan, who promptly whacked him with a pillow. Undeterred, he and Nathaniel proceeded to jibe the blond man, asking all sorts of questions about the mysterious raven-haired woman.

"All right," Jonathan finally cried out, throwing his hands in defeat. "I do admit that I am… Interested in her." This was followed by whoops coming from Zachary and Nathaniel. "However, I do not know if anything will come out of it."

"Do you know who she is, Jonathan?" The question, asked quietly, came from Kaelan.

At this, the other two quieted. Jonathan looked apprehensively at his leader. "No, not really," he admitted. "We just found her on the grounds, unconscious. She does not remember anything, not even what her real name is or where she came from."

"Are you sure about that?" Kaelan asked.

Kaelan's question's discomfited Jonathan. "Not really, no," he found himself admitting. "We only took her words. Still, I do not think that there is a way for us to prove that, right?"

It was a while before Kaelan responded. "Jonathan, you may not have noticed because you are besotted with the lady, but there is something strange about her." He paused. "You may have been holding back when you were playing with the wooden swords earlier, but she was too. I could see it in her form. That was not the first time she has held a weapon."

Jonathan looked at his leader then. "Where are all these questions coming from, Kaelan?" He looked at the three then. "Come to think of it, why are you three here? I know you guys miss me and all, but I do not think that I am worth the trip," he said, trying to keep his voice light.

None of the three smiled at his joke. In contrast to the gleeful atmosphere earlier, the air became serious. "You did not show up to the meeting this month," Zachary finally said.

Jonathan slapped his forehead. "I forgot about the meeting!" His eyes gazed wildly at the three. "What happened? Did I miss anything important?"

The three looked at each other. "Are you feeling alright, Jonathan?" Nathaniel asked, a tinge of worry in his voice. "You are not the type of person to miss out on meetings, especially those arranged by Endymion."

"I know… It's just…" Jonathan wracked his mind to try to remember what he was doing at the time of the meeting. "That was the time that the Lady Beryl arrived, and I became focused on entertaining her on behalf of Endymion that I forgot about the time."

"Lady Beryl? She is here?" Kaelan asked, his voice sharp.

"Yes, she arrived about a month ago." Jonathan looked at the silver-haired man, his tone perplexed. "Why? Is there something the matter?"

This time, it was Zachary who spoke up. "Remember the energy patterns I told you about? We traced it to the Daryne residence and…" He looked at the other two.

"The Lord Daryne is dead," Nathaniel said bluntly.

"What?" Jonathan gaped at him. "But he is Endymion's biggest supporter!"

"Exactly," Kaelan's voice was grim. The four of them were aware of the political implications involved upon the death of the senior Daryne.

"Did you get any hints about it from the Lady Beryl, Jonathan?" Zachary peered into the blond man's face. "This might be important."

"No," Jonathan said, his voice still shocked. "Whenever we saw each other, she would always play the part of the brainless chit, tittering about this ball or that dress. She never mentioned anything, and she never wore mourning colors. Could it be possible that she does not know about her father's death?"

"Impossible," Kaelan said grimly. "She was sighted in Elysion a few days after Lord Daryne's death."

"But what does that mean?" Jonathan asked, his tone baffled. "And the energy patterns? You mean the one with the dark magic? You think dark magic _killed _the Lord Daryne?"

The three shrugged helplessly. "We cannot say at this stage," Zachary said. "But I am certain that the two are connected." He took a deep breath before he continued. "And… Jonathan… The energy source… It seems to have entered your kingdom."

"What?" Jonathan yelped.

Nathaniel nodded, his lips set at a straight line. "That's why we went here. We didn't want to leave Endymion unprotected but…"

"But he was the one who commanded us to go to you," Kaelan finished Nathaniel's sentence. "Our kingdoms were already affected by that dark energy, and he did not want the same thing to happen to the East."

"Have you noticed anything strange going on here, Jonathan?" Zachary asked.

"Aside from the fact that a beautiful girl just happened to land in your property," Nathaniel started snickering, but was cut off when the other two glared at him.

"Not that much," Jonathan said thoughtfully. "There was a house at the nearest town, but they said that a candle caused it… Nothing seems peculiar so far."

"And your dreams?" Zachary inquired.

Jonathan hesitated. He was never really comfortable about mysticism, and that included the dream realm. But still…

"Jonathan?" Zachary prompted.

Jonathan took a deep breath before he spoke. "You know those fairy tales we were told when we were young? About the goddesses who controlled the elements and protected the earth from afar?" The three nodded. "Well, I have been dreaming about them." He looked at his brothers, expecting them to laugh, but their expressions were serious, so he continued. "I cannot see their faces, but they seem to be telling me something, but I cannot hear what they are saying. The one with the clearest voice, the Lady of War… I tried running up to her, but before I could reach her, I…" He faltered.

"Was surrounded by a thick, dark fog?" Zachary asked, his voice leaden.

"Yes, but how did…?" Jonathan looked at their faces. "You too?"

"All of us had the same dream," Kaelan said slowly. "Normally, I would not believe in all of these mysticism, but…"

"But it might be connected," Zachary said. "Which is why we all need to be careful."

"And that includes protecting yourself from the girl Rei," Kaelan said, looking at Jonathan. He raised his hand when the blond man opened his mouth. "No, I have nothing against her. If she brings one of my brothers happiness, then I will support that. However, until the danger passes, it might be best if you do not grow too attached to her, especially since you know virtually nothing about her. She might be a threat to you or to Endymion, we do not know for sure yet."

"Alright," Jonathan said woodenly.

"Oh, and Jonathan, would you mind if I set up some equipment here? I want to see if I get clearer readings so we can prevent anything from happening," Zachary asked.

Jonathan nodded, his mind only half-aware of what Zachary said.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Just so you know, this story will end in three chapters, more or less. I have to warn you right now that the ending may not be what you expect, but it's the one that has always been in my mind from Day 1. Actually, the ending was the first thing that popped in my head, and I just wrote all of the other chapters to have a background for it.

Again, reviews are much appreciated.:) Thanks for reading!

RJRJRJ

The past few days were the most hectic Jonathan has experienced in a while. Day after day, he was holed up in the study with the other kings, discussing the security of Endymion and the unknown threat. Zachary's reading came true: Jonathan's kingdom is starting to experience the affliction that affected the other regions of the Earth. Already the crops were failing, and some of the livestock have died due to some unknown reason. Zachary had glumly predicted that it will only be a matter of time before people started dying, making it all the more urgent for them to come up with a solution to the problem.

Despite the urgency of the situation, Jonathan could not keep his mind wandering to Rei, especially since she was the subject of some of the discussions. Even though he knew full well that his brothers were right, he could not keep his jaw from clenching over what they talked about.

It was a few days later that Rei finally became privy of these discussions that revolved around her. Jonathan turned around when the soft knock came, followed by the young woman entering the room and hovering by the entrance. She looked in askance at the four men in the study. "You called for me, my lords?" Her voice rang loudly in the silent room, even though she spoke in a tone that was only slightly above a whisper.

"Rei, come on in. This talk will not take long. We just want to let you know that we have good news for you," Kaelan said. He glanced at Jonathan before he spoke. "Zachary's aunt, the countess of Hadoni, is looking for a companion. Her husband died a few years ago, and they never had any children. Zachary has agreed to escort you to her estate. You will set off three days from now. It will take about five days' journey to get there."

Rei looked at Jonathan then, who had his head bowed down and was obviously trying to avoid her eyes. "I see," she said. Her voice was cold.

"You will like it there, Rei," Zachary said cajolingly. "My aunt's a very nice woman, and she never makes demands. She is very lonesome, you see, and she just wants someone to talk to. She will take you in as her own daughter, I am sure of it. She might bring you to Elysion when the season starts, and she might even be willing to sponsor you and introduce you to society."

Rei made no reply, only continued to look at Jonathan, who still refused to look up.

Kaelan cleared his throat. "This is for the best, Rei, for all of us," he said. "Besides, just think about your reputation. The people are already talking about an unmarried young woman living under the roof of the King of the East. Jonathan made a smart move when he introduced you as his cousin, but once people find out that the two of you are unrelated, and they are bound to find out, both you and he will end up with ruined reputations." He raised his hand when Rei opened her mouth. "Now, Jonathan explained to us that you do not care that much about reputation, and our brother is not known to be a saint as well, but this scandal can very well affect people's trust in Endymion. I am sorry if this sounds callous, but it is the truth. We have a responsibility to protect our king and to make sure that the people continue to have faith in him, and if that means making sacrifices, then so be it."

Rei finally tore her eyes from Jonathan and looked directly at Kaelan. Her eyes were like obsidian, dark and forbidding. "Thank you for clarifying your position, my lord. If that is all, I beg permission to leave. It seems I have some packing to do."

"Let me talk to her," a voice suddenly arose. All heads turned to look at Jonathan, who had stood up. This time, he met Rei's eyes directly before looking at his brothers challengingly. Kaelan looked as though he was about to argue, but something in Jonathan's eyes made him shrug and walk to the door, his departure followed by Nathaniel's and Zachary's. It was only when the door clicked shut behind them that Jonathan spoke up again. "You have to understand, Rei, that this is not what I wanted," he spoke in a rush. "I do not want you to go, for reasons that you know, but I also know that we should have talked with you before deciding any of this."

"Oh, this is perfectly fine," Rei responded. Her voice was sickeningly sweet. "It does not matter one whit that you made a decision without talking to me. After all, what _right _do I have to decide what happens to me? Especially since four kings were considerate enough to make the choice for me."

Jonathan groaned. "I knew you would react this way," he muttered. "Rei, please let me finish. I do not want you to leave, that is true, but this is for the best."

"The best for whom?" Rei asked, one eyebrow raised in mock query.

Jonathan paused before he spoke again. "Look, Rei, the others may not mention it, but my kingdom is in danger. Yes, all of those things Kaelan mentioned are true, but what he neglected to say was that you will be putting yourself in danger if you stay here. There is evil afoot, and the problem is that we cannot even detect or even identify what it is. It is slowly but surely corrupting the land, and it is only a matter of time before it starts corrupting and killing people as well. I do not want you to die because I was selfish enough to keep you by my side." Jonathan knew Kaelan would kill him if he found out he revealed this information to her, but he had to make Rei _understand_. "As much as I would want to, my brothers are right. I cannot spare the time or the men to look after you. I am overruled – and overranked."

Rei was rendered speechless for a few seconds. "I see," she said slowly, her voice not having any bite. On the contrary, it sounded subdued, and to Jonathan's ears, even shy. He could not see her face because her head was bowed, but he suspected that her cheeks were red because of embarrassment because of Jonathan's declaration.

"Why Zachary's aunt?" Rei asked after a while.

Jonathan chuckled wryly. "Mainly because she is the closest living relative to all four of us, and she has enough connections to make sure that you live comfortably, as well as to make tongues stop wagging about… About you." He was about to say "us", but realized that that would have embarrassed Rei even more. "Besides, Kaelan will be leaving two days from now – the day before you leave, incidentally – to return to his rightful place as the king's right hand man. And I would not have allowed Nathaniel to spend several days with you, even if you will not be traveling alone." He could not avoid the growl of jealousy in his voice as he mentioned his brown-haired brother.

Rei chuckled then. It was faint, but he heard it in her voice. "Did you really think I would not have the means to protect myself from him?" She teased, still chuckling.

Jonathan could not help himself. He pulled her to him. Rei stiffened, but did not struggle in the embrace. Jonathan kissed her on the forehead. "Selfishness be damned. Stay with me, Rei. I may not have the largest army, and I may not be the best swordsman as you have shown, but damn it, I will do my best to protect you. I love you too much to allow any harm to befall you."

At this, Rei did pull away. "I thank you for the offer, my lord, but I have to decline," she spoke, her voice odd-sounding, especially with its formality. "I think your brothers are right. It might be best if I left as soon as possible." At this, she turned around and went out the door, leaving Jonathan baffled at what happened.


	12. Chapter 12

Jonathan looked around the small celebration. Though a smile graced his lips, his heart was heavy.

Rei was leaving him.

He knew it was for the best. After all, he had reputations to protect, his and hers. Also, Kaelan and the others had made him realize just how much he was neglecting his duties. He had not intended to set aside his role as one of the guardians of his king and liege, but he had, and that negligence is unpardonable, especially with the unknown threat on Earth. Kaelan pretty much said the same thing to him yesterday morning, before he left. Jonathan felt even worse when he heard his brother's voice. There was no recrimination, only a reminder of what his duties were, and yet the younger man recalled once again what he and his other brothers swore as they knelt before their king. Jonathan knew he had to have his head clear in the next coming months to protect Endymion. He knew it, but he didn't like it.

Unwillingly, his gaze went to Rei, who was laughingly holding a conversation with Marithe, Joseph, and some of the other village children. When the villagers found out that she was to leave them, they had decided to hold a small send-off party. In spite of the meagerness of their harvest, they were somehow able to come up with some food and even decorations the night before the young woman's departure. As such, the palace grounds looked gay and merry, which was far from what Jonathan's heart was. However, in spite of himself, he felt a surge of pride toward his people, not only for the trouble they took to prepare everything, but also for the fact that they readily accepted Rei as one of their own. He noted the easy way she talked with them, and how they, even old, shy Mrs. Dallowitz, were able to respond warmly to her. Another pang went through his heart. _If only things were different_… He found himself musing.

As though she sensed his eyes on him, Rei turned around and looked at Jonathan, one eyebrow quirked in question. In an attempt to lighten the mood, the blond man simply smirked at her, causing the young woman to harrumph and turn her back on him. The effect was somewhat spoiled when she glanced surreptitiously at him before turning back to the villagers she was talking with.

Jonathan sighed unconsciously. That was the problem. He had enough experience with women to know that Rei was as attracted to him as he was to her, but he could not understand why she was trying to resist it. She herself has told him that he wasn't a bad person in the past, so why will she not give him a chance? He suppressed a shudder at the thought that she finally remembered her past. A past that included a man. _ She would not hide that from me_, he assured himself. If there was someone, then she _would _tell him, but she had not. Instead, she babbled on about a "vow", whatever that meant.

"Something bothering you, Jon?"

Jonathan raised his head to look at the concerned eyes of Nathaniel. The brown-haired man may needle him most of the time, but the King of the East knew that his heart was in the right place. He tried to smile. "Do not worry about me, Nate. It might just give you wrinkles," he said wryly.

Nathaniel did not grin back at Jonathan's joke. Instead, his eyes followed where his brother was looking at only seconds earlier. "I should have known," he muttered. "Jonathan, I know you like her, maybe love her, but Kaelan's right. We do not know anything about her. For all we know, she is just pretending the memory loss to try to get close to you."

"Zachary examined her," Jonathan half-protested, knowing that Nathaniel was right.

"Aye, he did, and he did say that he did not get any readings from her." Nathaniel paused. "And that is probably what makes her even more suspicious."

"What do you mean?" Jonathan asked, confused.

Nathaniel caught Jonathan's expression. "You do not know about it. I am not surprised neither Kaelan nor Zachary told you."

"Told me what? What do you mean?" Jonathan pressed.

Nathaniel hesitated before he continued. "Jonathan, the devices Zachary brought… They could detect life as energy." Jonathan nodded. He knew this already. "As such, every living thing gives off a certain energy… An aura, if you will. Rei… She does not give off any energy."

Jonathan gaped at him. "But that is not possible."

"Aye, it's not," Nathaniel agreed. "But it is the situation we have right now. That is the reason why Kaelan is so concerned, Jonathan. What if… What if Rei is the threat?"

"But there has to be some mistake!" Jonathan cried. Some villagers glanced in their direction at the sudden loudness of their king's voice, so he made his voice softer. "Maybe there was something wrong that happened with those infernal machines." Jonathan's eyes were begging for answers.

Nathaniel's, on the other hand, were filled with pity. "You and I know Zachary, and we both know that he would not be the kind of person who would make mistakes like that. He double-checked, Jonathan. Even triple-checked. He got the same results every time. The only way she would not be giving a reading is if she was dead… Or if she is not from here."

"What do you mean not…" Jonathan's eyes narrowed. "You have got to be kidding me. Are you and Zachary still discussing that theory? That there is something… _Magical _about her?" He said the last part with distaste in his voice.

"Mock as much as you can, Jonathan," Nathaniel said evenly. "But we stand by our proposal. All of these… These unexplained phenomena, there is nothing natural about these. I wish it was, but you and I know that it isn't. We…"

Whatever Nathaniel was about to say, he was not able to continue. A strong gust of wind suddenly came, toppling over a lot of the plates and blowing out most of the candles. At the same time, a crawling shadow moved swiftly, covering the grounds. As the shadows moved, every person it touched collapsed with a moan. Jonathan's horror-filled eyes watched as his people fell down one by one. He saw Zachary gasp as the shadow touched him before he collapsed. Some of the women screamed before they toppled down gently, their eyes wide and unseeing.

"No!"

At the sound of the voice, Jonathan's head rose up, and his eyes widened at what he saw. Rei was clutching a bow made of living flame, the equally fiery arrow cocked, ready, and pointed in his direction. As Rei loosed the bow, the shadow touched Jonathan, and the last thing that filled his eyes was the red arrow flying unerringly at him before darkness overtook him, the sound of a shrill scream in his ears.


	13. Chapter 13

"_Fierra?"_

"_Artemis."_

"_Your sisters will help you, Fierra." The voice of Artemis emerged from the dark, the tone urgent._

"_What for? I made a mistake. Now I have to live with it." In contrast, Fierra's voice came out flat._

"_Do not say that!" This time, Artemis's voice was sharp. "You are the second-in-command of the guardians!" This pronouncement was met with no replies. At this, Artemis sighed. "Why did you do it, Fierra? Why did you reveal yourself?"_

"_I believe that it was my mission to try to discover – and if possible, defeat – the menace on Elyson." If possible, the coldness in Fierra's voice intensified._

"_Yes, but you know as well as I do that not revealing yourself is paramount to your mission," Artemis said, his voice just as flat as Fierra's. "I do believe you had a different reason for doing that, Fierra, and I do think it's about time that you admit it to yourself."_

"_I admit to nothing!"_

_Artemis sighed. "Fierra, I have known you since you were a little girl. It would be… Easier for you if you just told yourself the truth."_

"_The truth?" Fierra's voice, while obviously feigning ignorance, trembled slightly._

"_You have fallen in love with the human, haven't you?"_

_Silence met the pronouncement. Finally, Fierra spoke again. "No," her voice came out choked. "That is impossible. I cannot fall in love."_

"_Because he is a human?"_

"_Because of my vows! I made a vow to our Kingdom that I will devote my whole life to it! Falling in love will only complicate things. I cannot!"_

"_But you have," the voice of Artemis said gently. _

"_What am I going to do, Artemis?" Fierra said, her voice only a whisper. It sounded broken, defeated. _

"_The adviser in me will tell you to forget him, to cut off all ties and go with your sisters the moment they come and get you. That certainly will not be easy, given that the mortals are now extremely sensitive to any hints of magic, but they will find a way, they always do. You are right; you have a duty, and you should follow it, regardless of what your emotions tell you."_

_A sharp, sucked-in breath. "And what does the friend in you say?"_

_Artemis sighed heavily. "As your friend, I want you to be happy, Fierra. The gods only know how much you – and the other girls – deserve happiness. Perhaps it is difficult, nay, even impossible, for you to live with a human, given their distaste for magic and things unfamiliar to them, but I cannot fault you for trying to save his life, not just because you love him, but because he is an innocent."_

"_And my duty?" The voice came out only a soft whisper. _

"_I always believed you and Lux made your vows too early," Artemis admitted. "No, do not look at me so. You were merely babes in the cradle when you made your vows to the Kingdom. Even Agua, who has lived almost her whole life in the Moon Kingdom, and Astra, who is impetuous and extremely devoted to the Queen's family, have not made their vows up until now. Maybe if you have given yourself the opportunity to find love…" A shrug, or at least, as much of a shrug as a feline can make. _

"_What ifs are not something we should consider," Fierra said, but her voice had lost its spirit, its fire. _

"_And of course, you would stay true to your duty, being who you are," Artemis voice came again, and his voice was a combination of amusement and frustration. "Take heart, Fierra. Your sisters are coming for you. Things will work out, you'll see."_

RJRJRJRJ

Jonathan sat in his study, his head on one hand. The events of the previous night remain fresh in his mind. He suppressed a shudder as he remembered the feeling of coldness seeping in his body, as though all of the happiness and warmth were being choked out of him. Thankfully, no one had died, although there were some villagers who became seriously ill because of the plague. Zachary had taken to horse to inform King Endymion about the events that happened. Between the three of them, they had decided on the youngest King, simply because he was the lightest – thus the swiftest – and will be able to reach the High King the quickest. He had taken half of Jonathan's men with him. No matter what happens, King Endymion needed to be told about this unknown threat.

If possible, Jonathan's shoulders drooped even more. _Correction_, he thought, _the threat is far from unknown_. His heart felt leaden. He still could not find himself to believe what has happened, but it did, and now, he had to pay for his stupidity.

There was no help for it. Purposefully, he stood up and stepped out of his study. Presently, he arrived at his destination.

"I want to see her," his voice came grimly. There was no mistaking who "her" was.

"I am sorry, sire, but I cannot allow you to go to the dungeons," the soldier said, his tone apologetic.

Jonathan raised an eyebrow. "You dare to stop me from entering my own dungeons? Your own king? By whose authority are you speaking for?"

"Mine," a voice said from behind him.

Jonathan turned to see Nathaniel standing a few feet behind him, his expression implacable. "Nathaniel," he said bowing his head slightly.

"Jonathan," Nathaniel responded, inclining his head in response. His lips were unsmiling.

"I need to talk to her, Nathaniel," Jonathan said, his voice cool.

"Are you sure that is a wise idea?"

"I am not asking you if that is a wise idea or not! Do you not see? I need to talk to her!" Jonathan burst out.

"Jonathan, just… Don't. I know how you are feeling right now. Believe me, I do. But I cannot allow you to…"

"If you actually know what I am feeling, then you do understand why it is important for me to have this conversation with her. Please."

Something in Jonathan's voice made Nathaniel pause. "What is there left to talk about?"

"Everything," came the response. Jonathan's eyes met Nathaniel's then, and the older man was struck at the pain and pleading in his brother's face. "Please, Nathaniel. Do not even try to pull rank on me right now."

Nathaniel hesitated. Finally, he spoke. "Fine. I give you an hour or so. But you need to go with a guard, just for…"

"No. No guards," Jonathan said firmly.

"But what if she…" Nathaniel began, but Jonathan cut him off again.

"If the… If the witch makes an attempt to attack me, then I would be a very poor guardian indeed if I cannot defend myself against her. I need to talk to her alone."

Nathaniel sighed. "Always the bullheaded one," he muttered. "Fine. One hour," he repeated. "But if I hear any sound, any noise at all, I will come and get you, regardless of whether you are finished talking with the witch or not." In so saying, he moved beside the door to the dungeon, crossing his arms.

Jonathan barely gave his brother a nod before he pulled the door open and stepped through it. He needed the answers, and he sure as hell will make sure that he will get what he is looking for.

RJRJRJRJ

Sorry for cutting the story at this point. I'm expecting the next chapter to be long (being – hopefully! – the last chapter of the series barring the epilogue) so I think it's right to cut this story at this point. I might upload the last chapter and the epilogue all in one go so the transition will be smooth, but we'll see.

Anyway, thanks for reading. Again, reviews are much appreciated.:) Thanks!


	14. Chapter 14

Jonathan's footsteps echoed as he made his way to the dungeons. The air was stale, with more than just a hint of mold in the surroundings. He had demanded that the dungeons are not to be used anymore, and it showed. Reaching the last of the steps, he stopped, took a deep breath, and squared his shoulders before he turned the corner.

He nearly cried out when he saw the vision in front of him. Rei had not been treated well. She was only dressed in a shift with her hands bound in front of her, and there were bruises on her arms, testament of the guards' rough treatment of her. In spite of her state of undress and shivering because of the coldness of the dungeon, she stood proud when she faced Jonathan, as though she knew that he was coming. _Which she probably did_, Jonathan reminded himself as he steeled his heart for the battle ahead.

Thousands of questions raced in Jonathan's mind as he faced the young woman. Presently, one terse word emerged from his lips. "Why?" he growled out.

"Why what?" Rei coolly responded, her arms crossed in front of her, as though shielding herself from him. Jonathan restrained himself from snorting. _As if the witch needed protection!_

"Do not attempt to play dumb with me." Jonathan snarled. "You know as well as I do what I am talking about. What have we done to you? Why are you trying to kill us? Have you… Have you _lied _to me the entire time?"

"I cannot lie, my lord," Rei answered, her voice still as cold as ice.

This time, Jonathan snorted rudely. "So what do you call what you did then? Tweak with the truth a little? Did you know that… Did you deliberately make me fall in love with you so you can get to me? So you can kill me?"

Rei's eyes widened at the confession. Jonathan swore at himself, not intending to blurt the words out so soon, but he stood his ground. This time, some of the coldness in Rei's voice melted when she responded. "My lord," the young woman said, her voice soft, almost hesitant, "If I had wanted to kill you, I would have done so a long time ago."

"Who are you really?" Jonathan bit out, nonplussed. The quiet assurance in Rei's voice, combined with what he saw the night before, made him realize the truth in the woman's voice. "You never really lost your memory, did you? It was all an act."

There was silence for a few seconds. Jonathan dared to look at Rei, and saw that she looked as though she was arguing with herself. Finally, she spoke up. "My lord, do you remember our mock sword battle?"

"Are you trying to throw me off? What does playing with wooden swords have to do with this?" Jonathan all but shouted. The only thing that prevented him from yelling was the knowledge that Nathaniel would come storming in to drag him away, before he could the answers that he was looking for.

"It matters," Rei answered evenly, unflinching even at the face of Jonathan's obvious anger. "You said that I can ask for anything I want if I won. Well then, I did best you in the match. I now claim that reward. I will answer your questions, but only if you agree to the conditions that I ask of you."

Jonathan's eyes widened at her words. _The nerve of this woman! _"You dare to make demands when you are the prisoner?" He said, scoffing. "Well, you cannot have your freedom, _witch_!"

Rei flinched at Jonathan's words, but she kept her eyes on him. "Is that the so-called honor of the Kings of Elyson, that they would go against their own word at the blink of an eye?" Rei's words were equally mocking.

"You actually dare to talk about honor when you…" Jonathan growled out, taking a step towards the prison cell. When he realized what he was doing, he closed his eyes and breathed deeply. _No! Get a grip on yourself! _"Fine," he snarled. "I will grant your request, so long as…"

"So long as I do not ask for my freedom," Rei said, finishing the sentence for him. "Understood. That was far from my mind to begin with, so you need not fear that I would ask that from you. I am a prisoner, and it would only be the height of foolishness for a prisoner to expect that her wardens would release her even if she remains innocent." Jonathan snorted at this, but Rei continued as though she was not interrupted. "My request is for you to tell King Endymion about what we are going to talk about. King Endymion, and no other. Not even your brother kings. What I am about to tell you is confidential and can put your planet at risk. Do you understand?"

Jonathan was taken aback by the seriousness in Rei's voice. No one, not even Kaelan, had spoken to him with that urgency in the voice. "Who are you, really?" He found himself asking.

"I will answer your question as soon as I receive your vow that you will do this. Do you promise to do what I ask of you?" Rei said, her tone fierce. For a second, Jonathan imagined the intense heat of flames as the young woman spoke, but the moment passed.

"Yes, fine, I will. I will pass on to him what I believe is important," Jonathan began, but Rei cut him off.

"No! You will tell him _everything _that we will discuss. Do you understand me? _Everything_. No, I know what you are thinking," Rei said, looking at Jonathan squarely in the face when he opened his mouth to speak. "You believe that I will only speak falsehood to you. You can, of course, let him know of your fears. From what I hear, King Endymion is a wise ruler, and he can determine for himself if my words bear paying attention to, or if your words hold more truth than mine. The important thing is for you to tell him what he needs to know."

Jonathan paused for a moment, trying to digest what he had just heard. Heavens help him, but he wanted to believe what she was saying, but he could not put his King at risk. Still, she did say that he could warn him about the dangers. "All right," he said finally, "I agree to your condition." Rei relaxed visibly when she heard his words, at least, insofar as her chains allowed. It was only then that Jonathan noticed just how stiffly she had held her shoulders before he answered in the affirmative. He cleared his throat before he spoke again. "I will live up to my word, so it is also right that you live up to yours. Answer me this: who are you?"

"Do you really want to know, my lord?" Rei answered, a hint of a smile on her lips.

"Answer the question, _witch_!"

This time, Rei did not flinch. Instead, a mocking smile graced her lips. "Not a witch," she murmured before she straightened. "My name is Fierra Amara el Ares, the daughter and priestess of my Lord, King, and Land, Ares."

Jonathan took a step back. This time, he knew that his eyes were not playing tricks on him. His skin felt the heat of the flames and his eyes saw the scarlet flames as they danced in front of him as the girl he had known as Rei spoke. _Fierra Amara el Ares_! He had only heard the name when he was a child, and a few times as a soldier. The Goddess of War, the name alternately revered and feared by those who faced the battlefield on a daily basis. "That is impossible!" He choked out, even though he knew his words were false. "You are nothing but a myth!"

Rei raised an eyebrow. "You humans who fear magic desperately wanted to believe that, which is why you relegated us as myths. But I can assure you, I am not funning. If you knew you 'myths'," at this, Rei gave a bitter smile, "You know that I cannot do anything but speak the truth."

Jonathan vainly tried to recall what he knew of the Lady Fierra. She was the Goddess of War, the Seer and Commander of the Fire, and the Ruler of the Planet Mars, the land said to be both her sire and her kingdom. She was the overseer of the warriors, and carried with her the ever-present fiery bow and arrows as she entered the battle on her fiery steeds. _No wonder she had no trouble with the horses, with archery, and with the fighting. She had been raised from the cradle to fight in the battlefield! _The name "Rei" also made sense. After all, the word meant "fire"! That was also why her skin always felt as though it was burning up, because of the flames she possessed in her body. That was why she was not burned when she went to save the kids! Another piece of information rose in his mind then.

"_You know that I cannot do anything but speak the truth."_

"No, you are not Fierra," Jonathan blustered. "That is not possible. Because the goddesses cannot…"

"Cannot lie?" Fierra asked, as though Jonathan's confusion amused her. "No, we cannot," she agreed.

"But you did!" Jonathan said, his voice soft, bewildered. He looked at her. "You lied to me."

"No," Fierra answered. This time, it was her who looked down. "I merely let you assume those things. I never spoke a word of untruth to you."

"But you said you did not know your name! I remember that!"

"Yes, I did. Because I did not have an Elysonian name as of yet. I never lied to you, Jonathan. I allowed you to believe things based on your own assumptions. You have to believe that."

Jonathan felt the familiar tingle as he heard his name on her lips, but this was replaced by coldness. "You as good as lied to me by allowing me – and my people – to believe you."

"Nonetheless, it was an important enough difference that allowed me to do my mission."

Upon hearing this, Jonathan's anger flared again. "And what is your mission, exactly?" He asked coldly. "To kill me? To kill my people? To kill my brothers? To kill my king? I will not let you!"

"Like I told you, if I wanted you dead, I would have done so a long time ago," Fierra whispered. "More so if I wanted to kill your brothers who stayed here for several days. You know what my abilities are, so you will know how easy it is for me to do just that. And if I wanted to kill King Endymion… Well, you said I would have been brought to court via Zachary's aunt. I could have waited for that opportunity to reveal my power."

"Then why did you do so?"

"That… That is not important," Fierra said, sighing. "There are other things that are more important to talk about."

"Like what?" Jonathan knew he was being rude, but he was past the point of caring.

Fierra sighed again. "The journey to your planet… It was not as easy as I expected. That was why you found me unconscious. It was only by luck that the one who found me turned out to be one of the kings and guardians of the planet. It made my life much easier."

"What are you talking about?"

"My mission… My mission was to investigate the strange energy in your planet. Agua came upon a strange reading coming from your planet. At first we did not want to believe it, because that _demon_… That creature disappeared a long time ago. And yet each day brought the same readings. Again and again and again. Eventually, Lux decided to take matters in her own hands. She sent me to investigate."

Jonathan could only shake his head in disbelief in hearing the names Rei, no, _Fierra_, so casually mentioned. Lux, the Lady of the Light and the Ruler of Venus, Astra, the Lady of the Land and Controller of the Weather, and Agua, the Ice Queen and the Goddess of Wisdom. "What creature?" He asked instead.

Fierra smiled grimly at the question. "It is an ancient evil which we believe to have been long defeated. If you know your… Your myths, then you probably know the story behind the Battle of the Gods and the disappearance of magic on Elyson, yes?"

"That was because of the g… Your people!" Jonathan said immediately, his tone accusing. "The stories say that the gods wanted to rule our planet for themselves."

"And, as with other legends, the story has been twisted to conveniently suit your purposes," Fierra countered. "The battle happened, 'tis true. Our fathers and mothers fought in the battle, but it was not so they could wrest control of your planet. It was so that they could fight a demonic creature that sought to subdue the whole universe by force. Your planet, Elyson, just happened to become involved in its twisted machinations."

"The legend… It said those events happened thousands of years ago," Jonathan mumbled.

"What is time to gods?" Fierra answered. "Time flows with us as well, but in a way that is quite different from how your time here on Elyson moves."

Jonathan shook his head. The words sounded impossible, but strangely enough, he found herself believing her words. He rallied again. "But your people pulled out the magic from our land!"

"No. It was your people that sought to kill off those who had even just a hint of magic in their veins," Fierra answered. Her voice was slowly weakening, Jonathan realized. "That was the result of the monster twisting your thoughts. It made you turn against each other. That was why my father and all the other rulers sought to defeat the creature. They were successful, but they paid for the victory with their own lives."

"And it is this creature that…"

Fierra sighed again. "Yes. We believe that the creature, for some inexplicable reason, came to life once again. That was what your friend Zachary has been able to read. That is why your planet is slowly dying. And that… That is what I believe attacked you and your people last night."

"But how could it exist? If gods were not able to defeat it the last time, then how…?" Jonathan cannot bring himself to go on.

"That is why we wanted to investigate the matter," Fierra answered. "I know, we do not have the right to meddle in these affairs, but if this is the same creature that we are dealing with, it will only be a matter of time before it spreads its venomous claws and spreads its evil once again. We know more about it this time around, but…"

"You are not sure if you can defeat it, can you?" Jonathan asked shrewdly.

"No, my lord, we are still not sure. That is why we want to stop it as early as possible, while it is still weak. The moment it absorbs more of your planet's life energy, the stronger it will become, and the more difficult it will be to defeat it. That is why I want you to warn your King, Jonathan. He needs to address this, but at the same time, this information cannot spread to others, or the creature will know that we have already identified it."

Jonathan did not know how to answer that. "So what was your plan?" He asked instead. "Were you sent to defeat this creature?"

A small smile appeared on Fierra's lips. "My lord, even the Goddess of War cannot hope to defeat it by herself. Nay, my role was to do initial investigation. Certainly, if it was within my capacity to take it out, I had orders to do so, but by the time I arrived here, the creature was too strong already, and spending too long a time from my own planet gradually diminishes my powers. I was to gather data, all the while refraining from revealing who I am, because of your people's fear of mine. After I am able to find out I needed to know, I would then have to go back and report to my commander."

"And then?"

"And then we will do what we can to defeat it," she said simply.

"And if you don't?"

"There is no room for us to doubt ourselves at this stage," she said, her tone sharp. "If we want to protect our Kingdoms, if we want to protect our Queen and the Princess, then we will do everything we can to stop the creature." Fierra looked at Jonathan directly in the eyes then. "Do you understand now? Do you understand what my mission is, and why you need to keep this a secret? The creature corrupts, and it is almost impossible to determine which of the people have been tainted and which remain clean."

"Why are you telling me all of these?" Jonathan asked finally.

"Because I know you are not tainted," Fierra responded softly.

"But you just said that…"

"You cannot have been infected because the creature tried to attack you. It would not have done so to its minions." Fierra said, her tone impatient.

"So it was not me you were shooting at!" Jonathan exclaimed.

"Obviously. You may be a nuisance at times, but that does not mean I wanted you dead," Fierra muttered.

At this, Jonathan smiled faintly. "But you just said that you should not have revealed yourself to anyone. Then why did you…?"

"I know what I have said!" Fierra snapped, some of her old fire returning. "Do not push me to say something that is not possible for me to do!"

Something clicked inside Jonathan's head then. Fierra Amara el Ares. The Goddess of War. The Seeress of Truth. The Commander of Fire. The Ruler of the Planet Mars. And the Virgin Goddess who devoted her life and chastity to the Moon Kingdom she serves. _That _was the vow she kept on telling him about, only he was too stupid not to realize it sooner.

Jonathan's heart felt leaden. Vainly, he tried to look at the girl he had known as Rei in her eyes, to see what she was trying to tell him without words, but she refused to look at him.

"I know with my mind that I should not believe what you have just told me because it is too incredible to be real, but my heart… My heart tells me that you are telling the truth." Jonathan said, his tone heavy. "I will think about what you said. I will let End… King Endymion know about what you told me, but… Rei, the penalty of wielding magic, let alone attacking one of the kings… It is death."

"I know," the young woman said softly, even with her back turned from him.

"And as you said, as a king, I have to stay true to my word. I… I do not think I can reverse the law." Silence met his words. After a long silence, Jonathan spoke again. "I will come back, Rei." He promised. "I will talk with Endymion, but I will come back. I do not know what will happen, but the people cannot make a decision, not without me around. Wait for me." Without waiting for a response, he turned his back and left the dungeon.

RJRJRJRJ

Hi guys.:) I know I said that this will be the last chapter, but this ran longer than I thought, so I wasn't able to end it (not unless I want this to run for a few more pages). As a result, the last chapter will be much shorter, but it really will be uploaded at the same time as the epilogue, so there.

Reviews are much appreciated. What do you think of the story so far? Hate it? Love it? Hate the characters? Let me know.:) Again, thanks for reading!


	15. Chapter 15

Jonathan rode back to his kingdom, his heart heavy. It had been three weeks since he had that talk with Rei. He had paused long enough to instruct his maids to provide the young woman with a change of clothes and to bring candles to the dungeons daily before he had headed to his bedroom to pack what he had needed for his trip. He had disregarded safety for haste, choosing to go on his mad journey to Elysion alone instead of bringing his retinue. It was only at Nathaniel's insistence that he brought his brother along. Nonetheless, it had not been a good trip. Not only did Kaelan and the others feel slighted that he chose to talk to their king alone, Endymion had also reprimanded him for the ease it took him to what his sire called "a beautiful girl". Nonetheless, Endymion had listened attentively to what he had to say and had even promised to make investigations on his own about what really happened in the War of the Gods. Unfortunately, he had chosen not to do anything about Fierra's fate.

"It has been the law for almost a millennium, Jonathan," Endymion had said gently. "Even if I wanted to free your lady, there is naught I cannot do. I can possibly commute her sentence, but beside that, I do not think I can do anything. The king also has to lead by example, and so we have to follow the law like everyone else. Besides, if Kaelan is to be believed, I do not think that we can let her go just yet. Even if she did tell you the truth, we still need to talk to her to discuss what is happening in greater detail."

That was the best that Jonathan could have ever hoped for. Nonetheless, his departure from Elysion was far from good. He had almost come to blows with Kaelan for talking with Endymion behind his back, and it was only Nathaniel's and Zachary's intervention did they refrain from causing each other serious physical harm. The strawberry blond had taken Kaelan's side but wisely refrained from giving a sermon to the King of the East. Nathaniel, while sympathetic to his younger brother, also kept his mouth shut. Kaelan had wanted to go with him to "see to the witch", as he had said it, but the blond king rudely refused had his offer. After his rough words, the other two wisely stepped back to allow the King of the East to pass. This was the first time that they had ever had a serious fight, and while Jonathan still believed that he was in the right, his heart still felt tight as he left his brothers with bad blood between them.

He was so preoccupied with his thoughts that he did not notice the commotion in the village where his castle was located.

There were people everywhere, screaming, shouting, all running to the plaza. Bewildered, Jonathan got down from his horse and led it by the reins. He hailed one of the men, who he recognized as the blacksmith's apprentice named Julio. "What is going on here?" he demanded, grabbing the man's shoulder. "What is this about?" Jonathan nearly stepped backward when he saw Julio's face. There was madness in his eyes, as though a deep darkness has taken grasp of his soul.

"They are going to burn the witch, sire!" Julio rasped, his tone delighted. Flecks of spit flew out of his mouth as he spoke. "Justice will finally be ours!" At this, he tore out of Jonathan's grasp and ran to the plaza, without a care about who he bumped into.

It was only then that Jonathan noticed that all of the villagers had the same mad look as Julio. The villagers all ran towards the same direction, but that did not mean that they moved as one. Bodies slammed against each other. Screams occasionally broke the mad gibbering as some of the people, mainly the children, became crushed under the stampede. Fights broke out as bodies crashed in their haste. Jonathan himself nearly became trampled as he tried to help some of the people get up. He staggered to the side, out of breath, as he attempted to move out of the way of the mad villagers. It was only when he stood panting did Julio's words penetrate his thoughts.

_They are going to burn the witch_.

"Rei!" He yelled, and ran for the town plaza.

It took several minutes to find her. The denseness of the crowd was thickest at the plaza, and he was hard-put to move towards the center because of the pressing bodies. What he saw brought his heart to his throat.

Fierra was trapped between two of the burliest of Jonathan's guard. She looked gaunt and sick, her skin almost luminous in its thinness. With a jolt, Jonathan remembered that the longer she stayed away from Mars, the weaker she would become, and her use of her power to save him that fateful night only served to hasten the consumption of her energy. What made him panic even more was that she and her guards were standing at the foot of a gibbet.

_Of course. _They were not foolish enough to burn her, knowing as they did about her powers, if not who she actually is. They were planning to hang her instead.

"Rei!" Jonathan shouted. Pushing aside the men – his own guards, he reminded himself – he cradled the goddess in his arms.

"Jonathan," Fierra murmured, collapsing in his arms.

"Hush," Jonathan commanded, putting an arm around her and helping her to her feet. "I am here now. I will not let them hurt you." He glared at the villagers, who looked wary at having to face their king, who had already pulled a sword with his free hand.

"You cannot," she muttered. "You cannot go against your people. This is not really them. It…"

"Hush," Jonathan said again, his tone almost pleading. "Save your energy. I will get you out of here." He did not care anymore. If it meant breaking the law, then so be it. He will explain to Endymion, if he will still be given the chance. What matters is that he needed to get Fierra safe, and…

Coldness gripped his heart and body. He felt horror as he felt his body freeze up, the sword clattering from his hand, and he fell kneeling to the floor as pain exploded throughout his body. He could not move. Even so, he could still see everything, although he could do nothing else.

Several things happened at once. He saw Fierra's eyes widen at something that was behind him. The people had rushed to her as soon as they saw their king fall, and then he saw them falling down one by one. In horror, he realized that they all simultaneously became covered in fire, an inferno that was extremely fearsome because it was blacker than the night. He saw the dark flames swallow them all, sweeping from the edge of his vision and quickly spreading to engulf everything in sight, stopping a few meters before it reached him and Fierra. He heard the shrill screams of the people as they burned alive. His eyes caught Julio struggling to put out the flames that seemed to come from within his body. He heard Marithe and Joseph scream hysterically as they were consumed by the flames. He watched the slaughter happen right before his eyes, but he could not do anything.

Vainly, he tried to get Fierra to look at him. As though she read his thoughts, she whirled to look at him.

_How could you? _He tried to tell her with his eyes. _How could you!_

Fierra was mouthing something, but he could neither understand nor hear her words. It did not matter. Hatred consumed him. _You tricked me! You killed my people! _

It was then that he realized that there was a glow coming from the side, beside Fierra. Orange, green, and blue light materialized out of nowhere, forming into humanoid shapes. He could see Fierra being pulled inexorably into the light, but the young woman was resisting, as though she was trying to reach Jonathan. Her eyes pled to him, but he met her gaze with hatred. His eyes met hers until the time she shimmered into a reddish light that slowly shimmered and dwindled, the same way that the other lights seemed to be fading. It was only when the last dot of light did he realize that he was able to move again. Vainly, he tried to run to the slight body that had been Marithe, but it was too late. The body had been charred, as though cooked from the inside. He felt bile rising in his throat, and he retched to the side, even as tears flowed down his face. With unseeing eyes, he saw that everything around him had turned to ashes, the same way that he felt his heart turned to dust and blown by the wind.


	16. Epilogue

Jonathan did not know how long he had been sitting in his study. He gazed around blearily. It was already night. Hours could have passed, even days. He had no concept of time anymore, and all he remembered was the bottom of every bottle of drink he consumed. Nothing else mattered. Self-hatred consumed him. He had been an idiot, but everyone else had paid for his foolishness.

He laughed sardonically to himself. He was supposed to be the king and protector, and yet he could do nothing but watch as his people were consumed by the flame. Consumed by that _witch_.

"You poor _baby_," a voice cooed at him from the shadows.

Jonathan turned his bleary eyes toward the voice, but his effort was put to waste when the form emerged from the darkness to stand at his side. The king recognized who it was. "Go 'way, Beryl," he muttered, drunkenly waving his arm to push her away.

"I know how you feel," the red-haired woman murmured, ignoring Jonathan's waving arms and holding his head to her bosom. "I know what it feels like to hurt, to be rejected."

"You have no idea what I am feeling," Jonathan said, a hint of anger appearing in his voice, but he was too tired and too weak to fight against the woman. A surge of self-hatred consumed him again. _Too weak to fight even against a woman! _He thought, sneering at himself.

"Yes, I do," Beryl said, cradling his head and running a hand lightly through his hair. "I know how the hatred and the pain consume you from the inside out. But you should not be angry with yourself. You should be angry at _her_."

"Shut up! Do not talk to me about her!" Jonathan said, weakly trying to push the woman again in his anger, but her grip was like steel.

"Why not? After all, she was the reason why your people died. Why should we not talk about her?"

"Shut up!" Jonathan screamed.

"That is more like it," Beryl said, smiling in the shadows. "Put up a fight! Bring out your anger and direct it at her!"

"No use," Jonathan muttered, his voice slurred because of his drunkenness. He tried to get to his feet, but collapsed in a heap on the floor. "She is out of my reach."

"What if I said she is not?" Beryl said, her voice silken. "What if I told you that you can actually get revenge?"

"I can give her what she deserves?" Jonathan asked, his voice raspy from tiredness and alcohol.

"Yes. You want her to die, do you not?" Beryl said, smiling at him without any humor in her eyes and her mouth. "You want to get revenge for your people, do you not?"

"How do I do that?"

"Simple. All you will need to do is to bow before me and acknowledge me as your Queen."

"Can' do that," Jonathan muttered from the ground. "Swore to Endy already." He tried to fix his blurry vision on the woman before him. For a second, he saw a shadowy form floating above the red-haired lady, but all too soon, it disappeared again.

"Endymion," Beryl said. For a second, Jonathan thought he heard her voice become lower, raspier. "He is nothing but a fool. Did he even send help to you? Your kingdom has burned to the ground two days ago, but has he sent aid? No."

"Stop talking 'bout Endy that way," Jonathan growled. He tried to get up, his legs gave out under him once again, and he fell to his knees.

"I can give you the power that you need to kill the witch," Beryl continued as though Jonathan had not spoken. "You want blood for blood. I can give you the skills to slay her. All you will need to do is to pledge your loyalty to me. Can you do that?" Jonathan made no response. At this, Beryl knelt down and whispered, "Do you not want to kill her for what she did to Joseph and Marithe? The poor, poor children. Burned with heathen fire. They will no longer live to have children of their own. The poor babes that were cut down even before they…"

Visions of the children's laughing faces danced before him. "Alright! I agree!" Jonathan snarled.

"What did you say?" Beryl asked. Because of the darkness, Jonathan did not see her lips curve upward triumphantly.

"I pledge my loyalty and my soul to you," Jonathan growled.

"Then there is one thing left to do," Beryl said. A small glitter in Beryl's hand was all the warning Jonathan got before he felt Beryl's hand run up the left side of his face to rest on his ear.

Terrible pain filled his body. He screamed shrilly as memory after horrible memory came slamming through his mind. He yelled himself coarse, but the pain, both physical and mental, coursed through him again and again.

Presently, Beryl stood up. The young man remained kneeling, although he was still by then. A cruel smile crossed the woman's lips as she spoke. "Arise, Lord Jadeite," her voice intoned. "The first of the Generals of the Dark Kingdom."

The man previously known as Jonathan Herid stood up, the glittering jewel in his left ear the only testament to the changes that happened to him.

RJRJRJRJ

And that's the end of "Ashes and Secrets". Thank you so much for sticking to this until the very end. As I mentioned, the ending was the first thing I actually thought of. There are some things I wish I could have changed or elaborated more on, but all in all, I'm quite pleased with the way this turned out. This really was meant to be half-AU, half-prequel to what happened to the actual series, which is why it went this direction. This story was never meant to have a happy ending, so I want to apologize to those who wanted one. I'm also thinking of going back to humor since I have some SenShi ideas, but these probably won't be connected to "Ashes and Secrets".

Anyway, Kiwigrl89 asked if there will be a sequel to do this. Actually, there are so many directions I could take to continue this story. I have semi-formed ideas about the other senshi encountering their kings, but if I ever push through with that, these probably won't be as long as "Ashes and Secrets", probably a few chapters at most. I could also go and write the prequel, which is about the War of the Gods, but I don't know if anyone will be interested, since I am not planning on featuring any of the SM characters in the story. What would you guys suggest? :)

Anyway, thanks for reading. Again, reviews are much appreciated. Please do let me know what you think about the story in general, what your thoughts are about a sequel, or if you have any other comments, questions or violent reactions about how this went. I promise I won't bite.:)


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